Collaboration key to meeting consumers’ expectations for better animal welfare

Ingelheim, Germany, 20 July 2019 – Collaboration between veterinarians and producers is crucial in order to meet public demands of high animal welfare, according to international experts at the recent Boehringer Ingelheim’s Expert Forum on Farm Animal Well-Being.

Over 100 delegates from 17 countries gathered in the historic city of Prague on 6-8 June for the 12^th edition of this conference hosted by Boehringer Ingelheim, a leader in the animal health industry.

Since 2008, the Forum has brought together animal scientists, retailers, veterinarians, producers and industry advocates to discuss the latest research, data, challenges and visions on improving the welfare of animals that supply essential global food chains.

This year’s event posed the following thought-provoking question to the delegates: Do consumers and citizens want the same thing? The difference between the two was highlighted by Laura Higham of FAI Farms who spoke of the ‘citizen shift’, i.e. individuals who wish to have a greater influence over society – including animal health and welfare – are utilising spending power to drive ethical food supply chains. Ms Higham also discussed the variance in farm assurance schemes and whether or not the current schemes meet consumers’ expectations for better animal welfare. 

Despite this proven ‘citizen shift’, willingness-to-pay for higher welfare is a still a massive issue the industry faces, as noted by Dr Lynn Frewer, Newcastle University. “Concerns associated with farm animal welfare and production may not correspond to purchase and consumption practices, with sales of welfare friendly products much lower than the reported levels of concern. This suggests a discrepancy between an individual’s role as a citizen and as a consumer, such that citizens and consumers have different concerns in different contexts.”

Sustainable supply chains were on the agenda of guest speakers Robert Erhard, Nestlé, and Dr Jeff Brose, Cargill Animal Nutrition, US. The delegates also heard from Dr Rory Sullivan, Chronos Sustainability, on the importance of global benchmarking schemes on farm animal welfare for global food companies.

When it came to defining what animal welfare really means, several speakers highlighted that it does not just mean physical health. “It’s essential to remember that animals with the absence of pain may not have good welfare,” explained Charlotte Winder, from the University of Guelph, Canada, in her speech about how vets can assess pain levels in livestock.  

The discussions also touched on ethical beef production spurred by the presentation of Rob Drysdale from Straight Line Beef, UK, and by Professor Xavier Manteca, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain who presented a fascinating link between antimicrobial resistance and animal welfare.

Marianne Villettaz Robichaud, University of Montreal, Canada shared the latest evidence on lying time and cow comfort, while Leopoldo Stuardo Escobar from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), France, gave an insight into its Global Animal Welfare Strategy.

Even with access to the latest research and technology, one of the biggest blockers in achieving high animal welfare is behaviour and attitudes, as highlighted by Dr Anna Wilson and Katie Morton from Innovia, UK. In their address to delegates and through an insightful interactive workshop, they gave practical advice on how to alter both professional and farmer behaviour to make the end goal of high animal welfare more attainable.

With consumers and stakeholders in the food industry increasingly interested in the production systems behind food products, a key outcome of the conference was the need for greater collaboration between veterinarians and farmers to ensure supply chains are both sustainable and maximising farm animal welfare. 

“We are dedicated to finding ways to improve farm outcomes through supporting farm animal well-being,” said Dr Laurent Goby, senior global marketing manager at Boehringer Ingelheim. “Such events are pivotal in bringing the best in the industry together to explore, discuss and enlighten others on how we can collaborate better to achieve this for industry professionals, farmers and most importantly, consumers.”

Boehringer Ingelheim also maintains a website dedicated to farm animal well-being (www.farmanimalwellbeing.com) which contains all information, including the papers presented in Prague as well as details of previous meetings.

For any enquiries about and photographs from the Boehringer Ingelheim’s Expert Forum, please contact Laurent Goby laurent.goby@boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health Business Unit
Boehringer Ingelheim is the second largest animal health business in the world, with net sales of almost 4 billion euros in 2018 and presence in more than 150 markets.

Across the globe, our 10,000 employees create the future of animal wellbeing through their daily work. We believe in prevention over treatment and therefore, we focus on developing innovative solutions in the field of vaccines, parasiticides and therapeutics. With a large portfolio of advanced, preventive healthcare products, tools and services, we support our customers in taking care of the health of their animals.

For more information visit: www.boehringer-ingelheim.com/animal-health/overview

Boehringer Ingelheim
Improving the health of humans and animals is the goal of the research-driven pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim. The focus in doing so is on diseases for which no satisfactory treatment option exists to date. The company therefore concentrates on developing innovative therapies that can extend patients’ lives. In animal health, Boehringer Ingelheim stands for advanced prevention. 

Family-owned since it was established in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies. Some 50,000 employees create value through innovation daily for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceuticals. In 2018, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around 17.5 billion euros. R&D expenditure of almost 3.2 billion euros, corresponded to 18.1 per cent of net sales. 

As a family-owned company, Boehringer Ingelheim plans in generations and focuses on long-term success. The company therefore aims at organic growth from its own resources with simultaneous openness to partnerships and strategic alliances in research. In everything it does, Boehringer Ingelheim naturally adopts responsibility towards mankind and the environment. 

More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found on www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: http://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Intended audiences
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