The OIE World Assembly has adopted guiding principles for animal welfare in livestock production systems and the first international standards on the welfare of cattle raised for meat production.
It also elected Karin Schwalbenbauer (Germany) as the new president of the OIE Council.
25 May 2012: The 80th session of the World Assembly of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) elected Karin Schwalbenbauer (Germany) as president of the OIE Council, and adopted the first international standards on the welfare of animals in livestock production systems.
Delegates adopted a set of generic guiding principles on animal welfare in livestock production systems and a standard on the welfare of cattle bred for meat production. The new standard includes criteria and indicators to measure the welfare of beef cattle, nutritious quality of feed, supplementary lighting for cattle that do not have access to natural light, bedding and many other aspects of cattle breeding conditions. The adoption of the standard was welcomed as an important step towards adopting comprehensive standards for all livestock production systems.
The meeting also adopted new texts on the responsible and prudent use of antibiotics in animal production for consumption purposes. The World Assembly, which is the highest decision-making authority of the OIE, convened from 20-25 May 2o12, in Paris, France. [OIE Press Release – Outcomes] [OIE Press Release – Animal Welfare] [Website of the OIE World Assembly 80th Session]