Animal Welfare: WOAH Is Taking Action on the Issue of Live Animal Transport

The 2nd edition of the World Forum on the

The Animal Welfare* Working Group, established by WOAH in 2017, met on the 11th and 12th last April in Paris. This year, participants discussed animal transport by land, sea, or air. Their goal: to develop proposals aimed at improving and helping to implement the standards WOAH international standards in this area. Animal welfare during transport is the shared responsibility of all stakeholders involved, from livestock producers to traders, from transporters to drivers, pilots, or ship captains, as well as administrative authorities and national veterinary services.

Under the theme “Animal transport : a shared responsibility,” the discussion forum established two years ago by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) brought together forty participants committed to the issue of animal welfare (members of the WOAH, international organizations, the research community, the agri-food industry, non-governmental organizations, etc.).

Travel is an integral part of the lives of domestic animals, whether they are shipped for

for food, sports, research, or recreation. Thousands of animals are transported this way each year around the world, posing significant challenges in terms of animal health and animal welfare. A thorough understanding of animal behavior and appropriate handling techniques are just a few of the basic principles that help minimize the adverse effects of transport on animal welfare, which is the responsibility of all professionals involved. From start to finish, the quality and smooth operation of transport are in the hands of all those who participate in it.

Two plenary sessions, dedicated to the implementation of WOAH standards and recommendations regarding animal welfare during transport, addressed the challenges to be overcome, the involvement of national veterinary services, and the role of civil society and industry in raising awareness among the various stakeholders about its importance. The participants, divided into working groups, then examined the three modes of transport covered in the WOAH Health Codes (maritime, land, and air transport) and highlighted current issues and areas for improvement. Several key points were raised, including:

- the need to clearly identify the entity that assumes overall responsibility throughout the entire transportation chain;

- the need for effective communication and coordination among managers to reduce the risk of regulatory violations;

- the need to develop regulatory frameworks based on “best practices” in order to avoid implementation challenges;

- the importance of adopting a multidisciplinary approach when developing animal welfare policies, in addition to using scientifically based indicators.

The results of the global forum will be used to develop a plan to update the WOAH chapters on animal welfare during transport within the Sanitary Codes for Terrestrial and Aquatic Animals, in line with the latest scientific advances in this field.

* The Forum is one of the key measures of the WOAH’s Global Strategy on Animal Welfare, adopted in 2017. http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Animal_Welfare/docs/pdf/Others/EN_OIE_AW_Strategy.pdf

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