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The researchers of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Venezie, IZSVe) have participated in a study promoted by the Spanish research centre IRTA to assess the level of welfare of pigs in the abattoirs of 5 countries: Portugal, Italy, Finland, Brazil and Spain y.
To assess welfare, the Welfare Quality (WQ) protocol was used, that allows a standardised and scientifically acknowledged assessment of animal welfare that can be applied in a harmonised way in the member states.
In Italy, the WQ protocol was applied in 9 abattoirs in the north of this country. The assessment was based on the measurement of specific reactions of the animals along the four stages in which the slaughter process is divided: unloading, lairage, stunning and bleeding.
The comparison between countries shows that the assessed Italian abattoirs can guarantee a satisfactory level of animal welfare. The slippage prevalence ranged between 1% and 13%, lameness did not exceed 2%, and carcasses with more than 10 lesions ranged between 2% and 10%.
Tuesday, February 27th, 2018/ IZSVe/ Italy.
http://www.izsvenezie.it
