A new era in animal breeding Much needed new practices in animal breeding, from animal welfare to environmental concerns, promise to render the sector healthier for citizens, the animals themselves and the ecosystem. Climate Change and Environment © Thinkstock One of the characteristics of an advanced society is good practices in animal breeding which consider animal welfare, public health and ecology. The EU-funded project 'Code of good practice for farm animal breeding and reproduction' (CODE-Efabar) sought to promote good practices in this area under the Farm Animal Industrial Platform (FAIP). This platform represents a forum of European farm animal reproduction and selection organisations that worked on implementing a Code of Good Practice in the field. The good practice document incorporated different key issues such as food safety, genetic diversity, public health, animal health, environmental concerns, breeding technologies and animal welfare. It took transparent principles on farm animal breeding and transformed them into practical rules of conduct, dividing them into three parts – general statements, relevant technology and sustainability. The platform worked with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to develop the technical aspects of the code and worked with a research body to articulate the ethical and societal aspects. Another organisation was called on to outline certification requirements. The project then oversaw a workshop that brought together members from FAIP and other stakeholders to finalise the different elements in the code. In addition, European breeding and reproduction organisations were given training on applying the code at their premises. To facilitate this endeavour, the code has been made available on the FAIP website and has also been distributed to relevant parties, including government stakeholders and welfare organisations. This Code of Conduct is likely to become the standard for farm animal breeding, bringing considerable benefits to consumer health, animal well-being and the environment.
