Starting from 6 July at an event in the Brazilian state of Pará, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) and the Group of Studies and Research in Ethology and Animal Ecology of the State University of São Paulo (UNESP) will distribute new manuals on animal welfare to farmers in the region.
Hens - Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil, 2012
Over the last few years, the Brazilian Ministry has developed numerous initiatives to foster animal welfare in farming practices, cooperating with farmers’ organisations, academics and NGOs with the aim of incorporating animal welfare principles into the development of agribusiness in the country.
Since 2009, various editions have been produced of a leaflet in Portuguese and a leaflet in English explaining some of the initiatives they have undertaken and the valuable role of animal welfare in improving the quality of animal products.
The manuals on good practice in the management of bovines at various stages of their life cycle on the farm are available on the MAPA website. On the same page, one can access information on projects developed in cooperation with different entities, and some protocols agreed by MAPA with farmers’ organisations to improve animal welfare in the existing production systems.
These protocols are not revolutionary. For example, not only can laying hens still be kept in conventional cages, but the space available per hen can be as little as 375 cm² per bird, which means just over half the size of an A4 page! Nevertheless, the fact that animal welfare has become a well-established element of any discussion on animal farming in a country of Brazil’s size and importance is already bringing meaningful improvements in some areas, with an impact on the welfare of millions of animals.
Information on the Ministry’s animal welfare initiatives is available on the MAPA website.
