Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T17:03:30.421Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Synthesis of semantic modelling and risk analysis methodology applied to animal welfare

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 July 2008

M. B. M. Bracke ,
S. A. Edwards ,
J. H. M. Metz ,
J. P. T. M. Noordhuizen  and
B. Algers
M. B. M. Bracke*
Affiliation:
Animal Sciences Group, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands
S. A. Edwards
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle, School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development, King George VI Building, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, UK
J. H. M. Metz
Affiliation:
Department of Agrotechnology and Food Sciences, Farm Technology Group, Wageningen University and Research Centre, P.O. Box 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
J. P. T. M. Noordhuizen
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Health & Public Health, National Veterinary School of Nantes, Nantes, France Department of Obstetrics, Reproduction & Herd Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Gent, Belgium
B. Algers
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Environment and Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 234, SE-53223 Skara, Sweden
*
E-mail: marc.bracke@wur.nl
Get access

Abstract

Decision-making on animal welfare issues requires a synthesis of information. For the assessment of farm animal welfare based on scientific information collected in a database, a methodology called ‘semantic modelling’ has been developed. To date, however, this methodology has not been generally applied. Recently, a qualitative Risk Assessment approach has been published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for the first time, concerning the welfare of intensively reared calves. This paper reports on a critical analysis of this Risk Assessment (RA) approach from a semantic-modelling (SM) perspective, emphasizing the importance of several seemingly self-evident principles, including the definition of concepts, application of explicit methodological procedures and specification of how underlying values and scientific information lead to the RA output. In addition, the need to include positive aspects of welfare and overall welfare assessments are emphasized. The analysis shows that the RA approach for animal welfare could benefit from SM methodology to support transparent and science-based decision-making.

Keywords

animal welfarecattledecision makingmodellingRisk Assessment
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 2 , Issue 7 , July 2008 , pp. 1061 - 1072
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aerts, S, Lips, D, Spencer, S, Decuypere, E, de Tavernier, J 2006. A new framework for the assessment of animal welfare: integrating existing knowledge from a practical ethics perspective. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 19, 67–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anonymous 2001. Scientists’ assessment of the impact of housing and management on animal welfare. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 4, 3–52.Google Scholar
Beekman, V, de Bakker, E, de Graaff, R 2007. Standing on the shoulders of a giant: the promise of multi-criteria mapping as a decision-support framework in food ethics. In Sustainable Food Production and Ethics. Preprints of the 7th Congress of the European Society for Agricultural and Food Ethics (ed. W Zollitisch, C Winkcler, S Waiblinger and A Haslberger), pp. 95–100. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Beyer S 1998. Konstruktion und Überprüfung eines Bewertungskonzeptes für pferdehaltende Betriebe unter dem Aspekt der Tiergerechtheit. PhD, Wissenschaflicher Fachverlag, Giessen.Google Scholar
Blokhuis, HJ, Jones, RB, Geers, R, Miele, M, Veissier, I 2003. Measuring and monitoring animal welfare: transparency in the food product quality chain. Animal Welfare 12, 445–455.Google Scholar
Botreau, R, Veissier, I, Butterworth, A, Bracke, MBM, Keeling, LJ 2007. Definition of criteria for overall assessment of animal welfare. Animal Welfare 16, 225–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke MBM 2001. Modelling of animal welfare: the development of a decision support system to assess the welfare status of pregnant sows. PhD, Wageningen University, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM 2007a. Animal-based parameters are no panacea for on-farm monitoring of animal welfare. Animal Welfare 15, 67–70.Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM 2007b. Multifactorial testing of enrichment criteria: pigs ‘demanded’ hygiene and destructibility more than sound. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 107, 208–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke MBM 2008. RICHPIG: a semantic model to assess enrichment materials for pigs. Animal Welfare (in press).Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Hopster, H 2006. Assessing the importance of natural behavior for animal welfare. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 19, 77–89.Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Spruijt, BM, Metz, JHM 1999a. Overall welfare assessment reviewed. Part 1: Is it possible? Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 47, 279–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Metz, JHM, Spruijt, BM 1999b. Overall welfare reviewed. Part 2: Assessment tables and schemes. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 47, 293–305.Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Spruijt, BM, Metz, JHM 1999c. Overall welfare reviewed. Part 3: Welfare assessment based on needs and supported by expert opinion. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 47, 307–322.Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Spruijt, BM, Metz, JHM, Schouten, WGP 2002a. Decision support system for overall welfare assessment in pregnant sows. A: Model structure and weighting procedure. Journal of Animal Science 8, 1819–1834.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Metz, JHM, Spruijt, BM, Schouten, WGP 2002b. Decision support system for overall welfare assessment in pregnant sows. B: Validation by expert opinion. Journal of Animal Science 8, 1835–1845.Google Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Hulsegge, B, Keeling, L, Blokhuis, HJ 2004a. Decision support system with semantic model to assess the risk of tail biting in pigs: 1. Modelling. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 87, 31–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Hulsegge, B, Keeling, L, Blokhuis, HJ 2004b. Decision support system with semantic model to assess the risk of tail biting in pigs: 2. Validation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 87, 45–54.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Zonderland, JJ, Lenskens, P, Schouten, WGP, Vermeer, H, Spoolder, HAM, Hendriks, HJM, Hopster, H 2006. Formalised review of environmental enrichment for pigs in relation to political decision making. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 98, 165–182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Zonderland, JJ, Bleumer, EJB 2007a. Expert judgement on enrichment materials for pigs validates preliminary RICHPIG Model. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 104, 1–13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke, MBM, Zonderland, JJ, Bleumer, EJB 2007b. Expert consultation on weighting factors of criteria for assessing environmental enrichment materials for pigs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 104, 14–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bracke M, de Bakker E, Beekman V, Jansson K and de Graaff R 2008. TRAK: Voedselkwaliteit op het spoor – Op weg naar een transparant beleidsafwegingskader. (TRAK: on the track of food quality – towards a transparance policy decision framework), LEI report 2008-002, LEI, The Hague.Google Scholar
Bracke MBM, Edwards S, Metz JHM, Engel B, Buist WG and Algers B (Submitted). Expert opinion as ‘validation’ of Risk Assessment applied to calf welfare. Animal.Google Scholar
Brambell Committee 1965. Report of the technical committee to enquire into the welfare of animals kept under intensive livestock husbandry systems. Command Report 2836. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London, UK.Google Scholar
CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission) 1999. Principles and Guidelines for the Conduct of Microbiological Risk Assessment. CAC/GL-30, 7pp. http://www.codexalimentarius.net/download/standards/357/CXG_030e.pdf. Accessed 12 November 2006.Google Scholar
CAC (Codex Alimentarius Commission) 2002. Principles and guidelines for the conduct of microbiological risk assessment. Document CAC/GL 30.Google Scholar
De Mol RM, Schouten WGP, Evers E, Drost WC, Houwers HWJ and Smits AC 2004. Integrale welzijnsbeoordeling leghennen. (Integrated welfare assessment laying hens). Report 239. Agrotechnology & Food Innovations of Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen.Google Scholar
De Mol, RM, Schouten, WGP, Evers, E, Drost, WC, Houwers, HWJ, Smits, AC 2006. A computer model for welfare assessment of husbandry systems for laying hens. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 54, 57–168.Google Scholar
EC (European Commission) 2000. First report on the harmonisation of risk assessment procedures. Part 1: The report of the Scientific Steering Committee’s Working Group on Harmonisation of Risk Assessment Procedures in the Scientific Committees advising the European Commission in the area of human and environmental health. European Commission, Brussles, Belgium.Google Scholar
EC (European Commission) 2003. Second report on harmonisation of risk assessment procedures by the Scientific Steering Committee (SSC). Appendix 3: Report on risk assessment of food borne bacterial pathogens: a quantitative methodology relevant for human exposure assessment. European Commission, Brussles, Belgium.Google Scholar
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) 2005. Principles of risk assessment of food producing animals: Current and future approaches. Parma 2005, http://www.efsa.europa.eu/etc/medialib/efsa/science/colloquium_series/no4_animal_diseases/1179.Par.0017.File.dat/ses_summary_report_coll4_en1.pdf. Accessed 2 December 2006.Google Scholar
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) 2006a. Scientific opinion on the risks of poor welfare in intensive calf farming systems. An update of the Scientific Veterinary Committee Report on the Welfare of Calves. EFSA-Q-2005-014. The EFSA Journal 366: 1-36. http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/ahaw/ahaw_opinions/1516.html. Accessed 15 August 2006.Google Scholar
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) 2006b. Scientific report on the risks of poor welfare in intensive calf farming systems. An update of the Scientific Veterinary Committee Report on the Welfare of Calves. EFSA-Q-2005-014 (144 pp), Annex to EFSA (2006a). http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/science/ahaw/ahaw_opinions/1516.html. Accessed 15 August 2006.Google Scholar
Fagen, R 1981. Animal play behaviour. Oxford University Press, New York.Google Scholar
FAWC (Farm Animal Welfare Council) 1992. FAWC updates the five freedoms. Veterinary Record 131, 357.Google Scholar
Ferrante, V, Canali, E, Mattiello, S, Verga, M, Sacerdote, P, Panerai, AE 1998. The effect of the size of individual crates on the behavioural and immune reactions of dairy calves. Journal of Animal Science 7, 29–36.Google Scholar
Fraser, D 1995. Science, values and animal welfare: exploring the ‘inextricable connection’. Animal Welfare 4, 103–117.Google Scholar
Fraser, AF, Broom, DM 1997. Farm Animal Behaviour and Welfare, 3rd edition. Baillière Tindall, London, UK.Google Scholar
Fraser, D, Duncan, IJH 1998. ‘Pleasures’, ‘pains’ and animal welfare: toward a natural history of affect. Animal Welfare 7, 383–396.Google Scholar
Fraser, D, Weary, DM, Pajor, EA, Milligan, BN 1997. A scientific conception of animal welfare that reflects ethical concerns. Animal Welfare 6, 187–205.Google Scholar
Health Canada 2000. Health Canada decision-making framework for identifying, assessing, and managing health risks. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/pubs/risk-risques_e.pdf. Assessed 2 December 2006.Google Scholar
Keeling, LJ 2005. Healthy and happy: animal welfare as an integral part of sustainable agriculture. Ambio 34, 316–319.Google Scholar
LNV (Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) 2002. Beleidsnota Dierenwelzijn (maart 2002). LNV, The Hague, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Mendl, M 1991. Some problems with the concept of a cut-off point for determining when an animal’s welfare is at risk. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 31, 139–146.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morisse JP, Cotte JP and Huonnic D (In press) (as cited in SVC 1995). L’anémie chez le veau de boucherie. Evolution maîtrisée ou problème pathologique. Séminaire International sur le Veau de Boucherie.Google Scholar
Noordhuizen, JPTM, Thrusfield, MV, Frankena, K, Graat, EAM 2001. Applications of Quantitative Methods in Veterinary Epidemilogy. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
NRC (National Research Council) 1983. Risk assessment in the federal government: Managing the process. US National Academies Press, Washington DC, USA.Google Scholar
OIE (Office International des Epizooties) 2004a. Handbook on Import Risk Analysis for Animals and Animal Products. Volume 1. Introduction and qualitative risk analysis. OIE, Paris, France.Google Scholar
OIE (Office International des Epizooties) 2004b. Handbook on Import Risk Analysis for Animals and Animal Products. Volume 2. Quantitative risk assessment. OIE, Paris, France.Google Scholar
Piguet, R, Bruckmaier, M, Blum, JW 1993. Treadmill exercise of calves with different iron supply, husbandry, and work load. Journal of Veterinary Medicine Series A 40, 456–465.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rushen, J 2003. Changing concepts of farm animal welfare: bridging the gap between applied and basic research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 81, 199–214.Google Scholar
Sandøe, P, Simonsen, HB 1992. Assessing animal welfare: where does science end and philosophy begin? Animal Welfare 1, 257–267.Google Scholar
Spinka, M, Newberry, RC, Bekoff, M 2001. Mammalian play: training for the unexpected. Quarterly Review of Biology 76, 141–168.Google Scholar
Spoolder HAM, de Bree J, van der Mheen HW and Bracke MBM 2003a. Not animal related but housing parameters determine an expert’s intuitive welfare assessment of pig welfare. In Proceedings of the 37th International Congress of the ISAE (ed. V Ferrante), p. 102. Fondazione Iniziative Zooprofilattiche e Zootecniche, Brescia, Italy.Google Scholar
Spoolder, H, de Rosa, G, Hörning, B, Waiblinger, S, Wemelsfelder, F 2003b. Integrating parameters to assess on-farm welfare. Animal Welfare 12, 529–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spruijt, BM, van den Bos, R, Pijlman, FTA 2001. A concept of welfare based on reward evaluating mechanisms in the brain: anticipatory behaviour as an indicator for the state of reward systems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 72, 145–171.Google Scholar
SVC (Scientific Veterinary Committee) 1995. Report on the welfare of calves. EC, Brussels, Belgium.Google Scholar
SVC (Scientific Veterinary Committee) 1996. Report on the welfare of laying hens. EC, Brussels, Belgium.Google Scholar
SVC (Scientific Veterinary Committee) 1997. The welfare of intensively kept pigs. Report to the Directorate General XXIV of the European Commission. Adopted 30 September 1997. Doc. XXIV/ScVc/0005/97. EC, Brussels, Belgium.Google Scholar
Thrusfield, MV 2005. Veterinary Epidemilogy, 3rd edition. Blackwell Science Publishing, Oxford, UK.Google Scholar
Van Reenen CG, Mars HM, Leushuis IE, van Oirschot JT and Blokhuis HJ 1999. The effect of housing system and dietary iron supply on stress physiological measures and resistance against an experimental infection with bovine herpesvirus 1 (BHV1) in veal calves. Report. ID-Lelystad, Lelystad, The Netherlands.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Von Borell, E, Bockisch, FJ, Buscher, W, Hoy, S, Krieter, J, Muller, C, Parvizi, N, Richter, T, Rudovsky, A, Sundrum, A, van den Weghe, H 2001. Critical control points for on-farm assessment of pig housing. Livestock Production Science 72, 177–184.Google Scholar
Wemelsfelder, F, Hunter, TEA, Mendl, MT, Lawrence, AB 2001. Assessing the ‘whole animal’: a free choice profiling approach. Animal Behaviour 62, 209–220.Google Scholar
Wiepkema, PR 1987. Behavioural aspects of stress. In Biology of Stress in Farm Animals: An Integrative Approach(ed. PR Wiepkema and PWM van Adrichem), pp. 113–133. Martinus Nijhoff, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Willeberg P 1991. Animal welfare studies: Epidemiological considerations. In Proceedings of the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine (ed. MV Thrushfield), pp. 76–82. London.Google Scholar