Animal Welfare: definition and assessment in the framework of sustainability

This talk will explore the interconnections between animal welfare, animal management and sustainable production strategies, mostly focusing on farmed ruminants. Three core questions will be addressed: 1) What are the relationships between animal welfare, productivity, animal health, management techniques and sustainability? 2) What role can welfare assessment protocols have in the larger framework of sustainability? 3) What are consumers’ expectations in terms of animal welfare, (actual and perceived) product quality and sustainability? The talk aims to stimulate reflections from participants on what has been done so far and will be the next steps to bridge the gap between the animal production sector and consumers' perceptions.