Dr Miguel Angel Higuera joined GCAW’s Pig Welfare Working Group meeting in October. Dr Higuera is Chairman of the Animal Health and Welfare Working Group of COPA-COGECA, the European meat producers’ association, and Director of ANPROGAPOR, the Spanish pig producer’s association. Dr Higuera outlined findings from a number of European research projects which assessed consumer...Read More
Members of GCAW’s Broiler Chicken Welfare Working Group were pleased to welcome guest speaker Máire Burnett, Technical Director at the British Poultry Council to their September meeting. Ms Burnett presented an overview of the UK poultry market covering consumer preferences, production methods and welfare standards. The UK market is in the midst of considerable change,...Read More
Members of the Global Coalition on Animal Welfare are making continued progress on transitioning their egg purchasing to cage-free supplies. Members have indicated that they will achieve their stated targets in the majority of the 190 global markets in which they operate. These achievements will have a significant impact on the welfare outcomes for the...Read More
The GCAW Pig Welfare Working Group is currently reviewing the proposed Pig Minimum Standards (PMS), developed and published by a collective of non-governmental organisations across Europe. The GCAW Secretariat has conducted an initial assessment of these proposed standards and is providing members with guidance on the practicality of their adoption. This guidance considers the PMS...Read More
The GCAW Pig Welfare Working Group was pleased to welcome Dr Abbie Viscardi, Assistant Professor at Kansas State University to its meeting on 3 April 2024. Dr Viscardi provided a comprehensive overview of the use of and options for pain relief during routine mutilations in piglets, including castration, tail docking, teeth clipping and ear notching....Read More
Members of GCAW’s Broiler Welfare Working Group met on 6 March 2024 and welcomed guest speaker Peter van Horne, an agricultural economist specialising in broiler chicken production at Wageningen University & Research. Peter presented an overview of how the Netherlands rapidly transitioned from conventional to slower growing broiler breeds. Now 100% of fresh chicken sold...Read More
Research published by the GCAW reveals that many of the world’s largest food companies are facing setbacks in their ability to source cage-free eggs. The GCAW Cage-Free Eggs Global Landscape Review presents the status of global egg production, collating available data on the 40 countries that together represent over 90% of all eggs produced.Read More
GCAW convened members of its Laying Hens Welfare Working Group on 24 January 2024. The Group was pleased to welcome representatives from IQC for an expert briefing on a cage-free egg certification scheme which it is operating in China. Members were keen to understand the scope and requirements of this assurance scheme, processes for auditing,...Read More
GCAW convened members of its Broiler Welfare Working Group on 11 October 2023. The Group was pleased to welcome Paul van Boekholt, who oversees Northern European operations for Hubbard Breeders. Paul has been involved in introducing slower-growing broiler breeds for producers, retailers and food service companies operating in many countries since 1998. We welcomed his...Read More
GCAW convened members of its Pig Welfare Working Group on 6 September 2023. The Group was pleased to welcome speakers from Canadian pork producer, duBreton, whose mission it is to connect 400 family-run farms in Eastern Canada to consumers who value sustainability and animal welfare. Attendees were most grateful to duBreton’s Director of Agricultural Operations,...Read More
