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Updated IDF Guide to Good Animal Welfare in Dairy Production released


April 12, 2019  by Manure Manager magazine


At the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Global Animal Welfare Forum in Paris, the International Dairy Federation (IDF) in collaboration with the OIE and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released the updated IDF Guide to Good Animal Welfare in Dairy Production.

This new publication promotes the implementation of good animal welfare practices in dairy production at a global scale. It refers to key international standards and provides guidelines to help dairy farmers and milk processors interpret and implement them based on scientific evidence and expertise.

Importantly, it identifies five Action Areas to be considered when developing and implementing quality management systems for dairy animal welfare, including stockmanship, feed and water, physical environment, husbandry practices and health management.

“Farmers know that healthy cows produce quality milk, and the dairy sector is wholly committed to developing progressive animal health and welfare initiatives that provide safe, nutritious and secure dairy products to global consumers,” said Caroline Emond, director general of IDF. “We are proud to contribute to the development of animal welfare expertise that brings benefits to animals, farmers and society.”

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“We welcome the new version of the IDF guidelines on animal welfare in dairy cattle, which will, in line with the OIE international Standards on welfare of terrestrial animals, certainly support the dairy industry to meet the increasing demand of our society for a high level of welfare for livestock production systems,” said Monique Eloit, director general of OIE.

“We recognize the importance of good animal welfare practices, which benefit the producers, their animals and the society as a whole, and support their implementation through a variety of awareness raising and capacity development activities, in partnership with several stakeholders,” said Bukar Tijani, assistant director-general of FAO. “This publication is a valuable step towards the improvement of the welfare of dairy animals and the development of the sector”, he added.

With the publication of the IDF Guide on Animal Welfare in 2008 and its close collaboration with international bodies (OIE, FAO), IDF took the leadership in establishing reference documents on animal welfare for the dairy sector. Since then, public awareness of animal health and welfare has heightened. IDF is actively contributing to the work on animal welfare of the OIE and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The updated IDF Guide to Good Animal Welfare in Dairy Production is an important part of this collaborative effort.

To view the IDF Guide to Good Animal Welfare in Dairy Production, click here. 

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