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Assurance schemes as a tool to tackle genetic welfare problems in farm animals: broilers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

MD Cooper  and
JHM Wrathall
MD Cooper*
Affiliation:
Farm Animals Department, Science Group, RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS, UK
JHM Wrathall
Affiliation:
Farm Animals Department, Science Group, RSPCA, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS, UK
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: mcooper@rspca.org.uk
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Abstract

Farm assurance schemes can set standards to assure compliance with specific requirements relating to animal welfare. As such, standards can be set to address genetic-related welfare problems in farm animals, such as those associated with fast growth rates in meat chickens (broilers) (Gallus gallus domesticus). Based on discussions with broiler breeding companies, broiler producers and in line with published research, the RSPCA placed a maximum limit on the genetic growth rate potential of broilers that could be used within its own farm assurance scheme — Freedom Food. Despite the introduction of this requirement, the number of birds reared on the scheme increased from 25 million to 55 million per year over a three-year period, with all of these birds meeting the genetically slower growing requirement. In addition, the two largest global broiler breeding companies responded to this change in the market by each developing a genetically slower growing bird. This demonstrates that assurance schemes can have a pivotal role in tackling genetic welfare problems in farm animals, such as those associated with fast growth in broilers.

Keywords

animal welfareassurance schemesbroilersfast growthgeneticsselective breeding
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 19 , Issue S1: Proceedings of the UFAW International Symposium ‘Darwinian selection, selective breeding and the welfare of animals’ Bristol, 2009 , May 2010 , pp. 51 - 56
Copyright
© 2010 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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