The WelfareQuality protocol measures animal welfare comprehensively and reliably

The WelfareQuality (WQ) protocols were developed between 2004 and 2009 with EU funding in a comprehensive scientific collaboration, involving dozens of European and South American experts, institutions, and universities. The aim was to provide farmers and consumers with a reliable welfare measurement method that could assess animal welfare independent of different national policies and laws. The WelfareQuality® protocol is currently used to assess the welfare of cattle, pigs, and poultry, both for welfare research and for commercial use in the food market.

The law defines the baseline, while animal-based measuring of welfare defines the actual level of welfare

Animal welfare is a complex entity based on an animal's own experience of its physical and psychological well-being. In simple terms, animal welfare can be improved by minimising negative experiences such as pain and hunger and maximising positive experiences often by enabling species-specific behaviours.

The law defines a minimum level of animal welfare. By definition, this means that an animal suffers, or is exposed to a significant risk of suffering in conditions that do not meet the minimum requirements set by law. However, animal welfare can be addressed further than the minimum level defined by law and with a different approach. For example, by improving understanding of the species-specific needs of the animal and by better understanding animal behaviour. It is also problematic to draw conclusions about the experience of an individual animal based on legal requirements; under legal conditions, animal welfare can still vary from good to poor.

While many other prevailing animal welfare inspections have focused on determining the welfare of an animal by assessing resources, i.e. elements related to its built environment such as pen size and floor structures, WelfareQuality focuses on observing the animal itself, during regular farm visits related to the audit. WelfareQuality assesses the overall welfare of the animal using a comprehensive set of indicators (Figure 1.) Animal welfare is assessed from the animal's viewpointReliable and scientifically valid animal welfare measuring protocols include animal-based, resource-based, and interview-based indicators. For example, it does not make sense to measure water intake from an animal, as dehydration in an animal would already be a very critical problem. Therefore, for water, it makes the most sense to assess water availability in a resource-based way, such as by inspecting the water flow, cleanliness, and number of bowls. Interview-based indicators are questions related to farm management and practices, such as the length of the grazing period, which can also be assessed by looking at records if the audit does not take place during the grazing period. WelfareQuality uses all of these to provide an overall assessment of animal welfare, with a clear emphasis on animal-based indicators.

Reliable and scientifically valid animal welfare measuring protocols include animal-based, resource-based, and interview-based indicators. For example, it does not make sense to measure water intake from an animal, as dehydration in an animal would already be a very critical problem. Therefore, for water, it makes the most sense to assess water availability in a resource-based way, such as by inspecting the water flow, cleanliness, and number of bowls. Interview-based indicators are questions related to farm management and practices, such as the length of the grazing period, which can also be assessed by looking at records if the audit does not take place during the grazing period. WelfareQuality uses all of these to provide an overall assessment of animal welfare, with a clear emphasis on animal-based indicators.

Animal welfare is assessed from the animal's viewpoint

WQ audit aims to answer the question: How well has an animal adapted to its given living environment? If the animal lives in a poor habitat, problems caused by this can be identified from the animal itself by noting for example skin damage, difficulty in lying down movements, or apathy. Thus, for instance, problems in a barn can be identified independently of the structures, such as in cases where there is sufficient space, but where the quality of the bedding is an issue. The impact of a resource on an animal's welfare is therefore examined by observing the animal's behaviour, appearance, and what they tell us about the suitability of a resource, such as a sleeping place. Conclusions are therefore not drawn based on the resource or its existence alone.

WelfareQuality is the first animal welfare measurement method that also assesses animal behaviour and emotions using qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA). It allows the different causes and emotional states underlying an animal's behaviour to be located and identified. For example, a cow that appears calm may be calm either in a positive way when ruminating in a relaxed manner or in a negative way, for example in apathy due to chronic illness. WQ helps to identify different animal behaviours, changes in behaviour, and differences between normal and abnormal behaviour.

A farm can achieve one of four overall scores in the audit: not-classified, acceptable, enhanced, or excellent. The farm receives a comprehensive report of its results and the areas of well-being where the farm is already performing at a high level as well as areas where there is still room for improvement. In this way, each farm receives individual feedback on the overall welfare of the animals on the farm.

WQ provides a comprehensive basis for welfare assessment protocols

The WQ protocol is based on extensive research data and has been used to derive several other welfare monitoring protocols, such as the Animal Welfare Index. In Finland, for example, an ongoing project aiming to develop a welfare protocol for horses is also using the comprehensive and reliable WQ protocol to build a proposal for an equine welfare protocol.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230851721_The_Welfare_Quality_Project_and_Beyond_Safeguarding_Farm_Animal_Well-Being
https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/266213/reporting