The role of the new reference center (EURCAW-SA) will be to help improve the application of European regulations concerning the welfare and protection of poultry, rabbits and other small farm animals. This consists of developing and disseminating knowledge and tools in order to optimize the official controls linked to animal welfare carried out at all stages of production by the European Commission and the competent authorities of each of the 28 Member States.
EURCAW-SA will provide scientific and technical expertise to the competent authorities and public policy actors related to animal welfare and to any network or national scientific support organization, in particular through training and the sharing of research results. and innovation. It will provide knowledge from a solid scientific network to help these actors and stakeholders to appropriate the indicators and methods to assess and improve animal welfare, while standardizing, within the Union European Union, the application of existing regulations in this area.
A European scientific network
The European scientific network responsible for coordinating these actions is made up of various partner organizations in France, Spain, Italy and Denmark.
In France, ANSES is responsible for coordinating the center and will rely in particular on the scientific skills of its laboratory in Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort on the well-being and health of poultry and rabbits.
The Agency will also rely on the expanded network of the National Reference Center for Animal Welfare with scientists from INRA, ITAVI, veterinary schools (VetAgroSup, ENSV) and Infoma ( National Institute for Staff Training of the Ministry of Agriculture).
In Spain, the Institute for Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) will participate in EURCAW, with an expanded network consisting of the Farm Animal Welfare Education Center (FAWEC), the Faculty of Science veterinarians from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and from the Animal Behavior and Welfare Department of Neiker-Tecnalia (Basque Institute for Research and Development in Agriculture). In Denmark, the Department of Animal Science at Aarhus University (ANIS/AU) will be the main participant. In Italy, the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna (IZSLER) and its extended network (University of Milan, University of Bologna) will take part in this programme.