The regional training seminar for WOAH National Focal Points on Animal Welfare for Europe was held in Madrid, Spain on 25-27 June 2024.
The meeting brought together 60 participants, including 42 National Focal Points on animal welfare. This workshop aimed to provide the latest updates from WOAH on the implementation of the Global Animal Welfare Strategy and regional Platform on animal welfare for Europe whilst providing knowledge on developments in animal welfare and implementation of animal welfare standards.
Technical session lectures covered animal welfare legislation, advancing implementation of standards and holistic approaches and economic aspects of animal welfare. Additionally, participants were presented with knowledge on assessment of animal welfare in production systems, fish welfare, and animal welfare indicators at slaughterhouses.
The program included also working group exercise on public private partnership for support an implementation of animal welfare standards and a field visit to a dairy goat farm.
The final day focused on the five priority topics of the regional Platform on animal welfare: disasters management, transport of animals, welfare during slaughter, dog population management and welfare of working equids.
The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to reinforce focal point’s engagement and networking through experience-sharing and discussion between participants.
WOAH is very grateful to the European Union for funding the meeting and to the Kingdom of Spain for kindly supporting in the organisation and hosting this event.
In addition, with support provided by the International Coalition for Working Equids, a back-to-back event dedicated to the welfare of working equids was held 27th June. This event gave opportunities for additional countries’ experiences exchange and group exercises work to improve the welfare of working equids.
| DAY 1: 25 June 2024 | |
| Session 1: Opening | |
| Opening remarks | Valentín Almansa (Spain)
Estelle Hamelin (WOAH SRR Representative) |
| Introduction, objectives of the workshop and ToRs of the Focal Points on animal welfare | L. Stuardo (WOAH) |
| Icebreaker Exercise and group photo | All |
| WOAH animal welfare working program and Global Animal Welfare Strategy | L. Stuardo (WOAH) |
| WOAH Platform update | T. Grudnik (WOAH) |
| Session 2: Animal welfare legislation | |
| Dissecting Animal Law: identifying differences in scope, structure, language, and institutional usages | Carolina Maciel, International Lawyer & Researcher |
| Developing animal welfare regulation | Stanislav Ralchev (European Commission, Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety) |
| Session 3: Advancing implementation of animal welfare standards | |
| Animal welfare economic in animal production systems | Henk Hogeveen (Wageningen University) |
| Animal welfare – holistic approach | Rebeca Garcia Pinillos (One Welfare CIC_ |
| Communication/ awareness/ developing capacity building programmes | Silvia D’Albenzio (IZS Teramo) – online |
| Public Private Partnership | Rahul Srivastava (WOAH Capacity-Building Department) – online |
| Working group exercise: Implementation of WOAH standards – collaboration and partnerships | |
| DAY 2: 26 June 2024 | |
| Session 4: Animal welfare assessment | |
| Animal welfare in production systems – animal-based indicators | Pol Llonch Obiols (Autonomous University of Barcelona) |
| Animal Welfare Indicators at the slaughterhouse | Lotta Berg (WOAH Collaborating Centre/Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare) |
| Fish welfare – EU Platform on Animal Welfare own Initiative | Birte Broberg (Denmark) |
| European Forum for Animal Welfare Councils | Eric Van Tilburgh (Belgium) |
| Regional Expertise – WOAH Collaborating Centre on animal welfare and EU Reference Centres for animal welfare | Lotta Berg ( |
| Field visit – dairy goat farm | |
| DAY 3: 27 June 2024 | |
| Session 5: Platform on animal welfare – priority topics | |
| Animals in disasters – Platform’s activities | WOAH |
| Animal health care in disasters | Lotta Berg |
| Sharing country experience Greece | Katerina Marinou (Greece) |
| Trasport of animals – Platform’s activities | WOAH |
| Animal welfare during slaughter – Platform’s activities | WOAH |
| Dog Population Management – Platform’s activities | WOAH |
| Welfare of working equids – Platform’s activities | WOAH |
| Tools to implement working equids welfare standards | Joe Collins (The Donkey Sanctuary) |
| Conclusions and closing ceremony and certificates | |
Event on the welfare of working equids
| 27 June 2024 | |
| Opening remarks | |
| Case studies – sharing country experience: | |
| Spain – addressing the welfare of equids at local festivals in Cataluña | Rosada Gili Cabanillas (Generalitat de Catalunya, Spain) |
| World Horse Welfare project in Romania | Sandra P. Zafra (World Horse Welfare) |
| Working group exercise | |
| Conclusions and next actions |
