EU’s animal welfare research

Washington22 March 2012

EU Commission research strategy and actions to support animal welfare policy

Dr Danièle TISSOTDG Research & Innovation

Directorate Biotechnologies, Agriculture and Food

Dr Judit KROMMERDG Health & ConsumersDirectorate Veterinary and International Affairs

What is HORIZON 2020?

• Commission proposal for a 80 billion euro research and innovation funding programme (2014-20)

• Part of proposals for next EU budget, complementing Structural Funds, education, etc.

• A core part of Europe 2020, Innovation Union & European Research Area:– Responding to the economic crisis to invest in

future jobs and growth – Addressing peoples’ concerns about their

livelihoods, safety and environment.– Strengthening the EU’s global position in research,

innovation and technology

What’s new• A single programme bringing together three

separate programmes/initiatives*• More innovation, from research to retail, all forms of

innovation• Focus on societal challenges facing EU society,

e.g. health, clean energy and transport• Simplified access, for all companies, universities,

institutes in all EU countries and beyond.

*The 7th research Framework Programme (FP7), innovation aspects of Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP), EU contribution to the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)

Three priorities:

1.Excellent science

2.Industrial leadership

3.Societal challenges

Priority 3: Societal challenges

• EU policy objectives (climate, environment, energy, transport etc) cannot be achieved without innovation

• Breakthrough solutions come from multi-disciplinary collaborations, including social sciences & humanities

• Promising solutions need to be tested, demonstrated and scaled up

Proposed funding (million euro, 2014-20)

Health, demographic change and wellbeing 8 033

Food security, sustainable agriculture, marine and maritime research & the bio-economy

4 152

Secure, clean and efficient energy* 5 782

Smart, green and integrated transport 6 802

Climate action, resource efficiency and raw materials 3 160

Inclusive, innovative and secure societies 3 819

*Additional €1 050m for nuclear safety and security from the Euratom Treaty

activities (2014-18). Does not include ITER.

Next steps

• From 30/11: Parliament and Council negotiations on the basis of the Commission proposals

• Ongoing: Parliament and Council negotiations on EU budget 2014-20 (including overall budget for Horizon 2020)

• Mid 2012: Final calls under 7th Framework Programme for Research to bridge gap towards Horizon 2020

• By end 2013: Adoption of legislative acts by Parliament and Council on Horizon 2020

• 1/1/2014: Horizon 2020 starts; launch of first calls

Animal Welfare Research in FP7

From FP5 to FP7

• Increase project size• Pure AW projects• Broader projects including AW as a package• From qualitative to quantitative welfare

assessment• Coverage of new species in relation to future

AW strategy

Seventh Framework ProgrammeAnimal Welfare

• 2007 first Call: 2 projects selected• 2008 Calls: topic closed• 2009 Call: topic closed• 2010 Work Programme: 3 projects selected• 2011 Call: ERA-Net on Animal Health and

Welfare• 2012 Call: topic closed• 2013 Call: intention to open again for

animal welfare linked to production aspects

Econwelfare: Good animal welfare in a socio-economic context: Project to promote insight on the impact for the animal, the production chain and society of upgrading AW standards

overall objective: policy instruments needed to achieve the aims of the Action Plan on Animal Welfare

• What are the current welfare initiatives and standards within the EU and in the EU’s most important trading countries?

• What are the strength and weaknesses of these initiatives and standards to the animal, society and the production chain?

• What policy instruments can be designed to promote high(er) animal welfare standards and how can progress in the pathway towards these standards be monitored?

• What are the benefits and costs of upgraded welfare standards and what are the implications for international trading patterns?

http://www.econwelfare.eu/

EU Seventh Framework Programme

First call 2007 (1)

EAWP: European Animal Welfare Platform: adding welfare quality to food/progressing animal welfare throughout the food chain

Forum of 21 Leading companies/organisations Producers/Farmers Processors Retailers Interest groups/NGO’s Academia Aim: to interchange information on animal welfare and to identify

key welfare issues, best practices, improvement strategies and R&D needs

• Stakeholder platform facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experience, expertise to support:

• Implementation of science-based welfare assessment• Information systems• Improvement strategies• Market initiatives• Research & development• Policy formulation

EU Seventh Framework Programme

First call 2007 (1)

• AWIN: Amimal Welfare Indicators: Development, integration and dissemination of animal-based welfare indicators, including pain, in commercially important husbandry species, with special emphasis on small ruminants, equidae and turkey

• Aware: Animal welfare research in an enlarged Europe

• COPEWELL: Coping ability of farmed fish-towards a deeper understanding of fish welfare

EU Seventh Framework Programme

Call 2010

AWINAnimal Welfare Indicators

Objectives:• to develop animal welfare assessment protocols, including pain

assessment protocols, for sheep, goats, horses, donkeys and turkeys.

• to study the impact of diseases and pain on animal welfare.• to examine how different prenatal social environments, social

dynamics and prenatal handling methods affect the development and welfare of the offspring in sheep, goats and horses.

• to create a global hub for research and education in animal welfare that will integrate past, present and future research and teaching materials.

http://www.animal-welfare-indicators.net/

AWAREAnimal welfare research in an enlarged Europe

• To develop sustainable and actively expanding Europe-wide networks of farm animal welfare scientists and of stakeholder platforms

• Mapping/promoting• Workshops and courses

1. Farm animal welfare research2. Animal welfare university education3. Animal welfare awareness and implementation

COPEWELLA new integrative framework for the study of fish

welfare based on the concepts of allostasis, appraisal and coping styles

• Most important species tested: Atlantic salmon, European sea bass, and gilthead sea bream

• 4 relevant concepts:• coping styles: links between brain function, behaviour

and adaptative physiology for ability to cope with stressors

• Appraisal: how fish appraise their world and understand positive and negative stimuli

• Allostasis: evolutionarily rooted concept applied to fish• Ontogeny: of neural function and neuroendocrine stress

responses

Call 2011

ERA-Net on Animal Health and Welfare: ANIHWA

• an ERA-NET instrument using grants to support public-public partnerships in their preparation, establishment of networking structures, design, implementation and coordination of joint activities as well as topping up of individual joint calls and of actions of a transnational nature;

Thank you for your attention!