World Farm Animal Welfare Conference held in China

On October 12-13, 2017, The World Conference on Farm Animal Welfare and the 5th China Animal Welfare Forum on Quality and Safety of Meat and Poultry Products were held in Hanzhou, Zhejiang Province. Mr. Walter Benz, President of Big Dutchman China, delivered a keynote speech.

"Advocating Farm Animal Welfare, Promoting Sustainable Development and Marketing Ethical Consumerism" was the conference theme. Mr. Yu Kangzhen, Vice Minister of China’s Ministry of Agriculture, and Berhe Tekola, Director of Animal Production Health Division of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) attended the conference and delivered speeches.

Big Dutchman animal welfare solutions 

In order to promote the sustainable development of the industry, the experts exchanged their views on topics such as “Status and trend of Chinese livestock husbandry”, “Orientation, challenges and opportunities of animal welfare value chain”, “Changes in consumption behavior”, “Impact of international trade rules” and “Coping strategy of producers” etc. 

Mr. Benz delivered a speech entitled “Animal Welfare and Waste Management” which featured Big Dutchman’s animal welfare equipment and farm waste management solutions.

“This is an undeniable trend. More and more Chinese customers are beginning to pay attention to animal welfare. That’s why the World Animal Welfare Conference is being held in China. Big Dutchman is also committed to bringing the most advanced animal-friendly rearing technology from Europe to China. The first animal-friendly free-range system has already been sold in China, and its installation will be finished by the end of this year”, said Mr. Benz.

The design of Big Dutchman's animal-friendly egg production technology is based on the natural behavior of laying hens. It is equipped with nests, perches and scratching areas. The equipment as well as the birds’ activity space are in complete conformity with the Animal Welfare Act of the European Union. Focusing on the natural behavior of birds, the equipment ensures that the birds grow up healthy. 

Big Dutchman also provides a wide range of animal welfare-equipment for pig production. For instance, the company's electronic sow feeding systems Call-Innpro and CallMaticpro are aninmal-friendly choices for keeping pregnant sows in groups. It satisfies the individual feeding requirement of the individual sow and ensures that there is enough activity space available. An automatic heat detection system for incorporation into ESF-systems has won a prestigious silver award at 2012 EuroTier. 

Co-hosted by FAO and CAPIAC (China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation) and undertaken by ICCAW (International Cooperation Committee of Animal Welfare), the conference was also supported by RSPCA (Britain’s Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), CIWF (Compassion in World Farming), USMEF (U.S. Meat Export Federation) and National Pork Producers Council (NPC).

Representatives and experts from domestic and international organizations such as WTO, China Ministry of Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, University of Edinburgh, University of Queensland Australia, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University and Nanjing Agricultural University, Inner Mongolia Academy of Agriculture etc., attended the conference. The number of participants amounted to nearly 400.

It was for the first time that FAO convened an international conference on farm animal welfare. Choosing China as conference site is of particular significance. The country is both a large producer and consumer of pig and poultry products and the overall condition of animal welfare has been improved, which is universally recognized by the international community.