Annex 29

**USA COMMENTS IN RED FONT**

CHAPTER 7.1.

**INTRODUCTION TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE**

##### Article 7.1.1.

General considerations

*Animal welfare*means the physical and mental state of an *animal*in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies.

An *animal*experiences good welfare if the *animal*is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, is not suffering severely or for a long time from unpleasant states such as pain, fear and distress, and is able to express behaviours that are important for its physical and mental state.

Good *animal****welfare***requires disease prevention and appropriate veterinary care, shelter, management and nutrition, a stimulating and safe environment, humane handling and humane *slaughter***or *killing*. Good animal welfare is not only about avoiding negative experiences to animals, but also providing them with positive experiences. While *animal****welfare***refers to the state of the *animal*, the treatment that an *animal***receives is covered by other terms such as animal care, animal husbandry, and humane treatment.

##### Article 7.1.2.

Guiding principles for animal welfare

1)	~~That~~~~t~~There is a critical relationship between animal health and *animal****welfare*.

2)	~~That~~While the~~internationally recognised~~ “five freedoms” (freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; freedom from fear and distress; freedom from physical and thermal discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; and freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour) provide valuable guidance in *animal****welfare*~~.~~, the ‘five domains’ (nutrition, environment, health, behavioural interactions, and mental state) support the systematic scientific assessment of *animal welfare*.

**RATIONALE:** Editorial.

3)	~~That~~~~t~~The ~~internationally recognised~~ “three Rs” (reduction in numbers of *animals*, refinement of experimental methods and replacement of *animals***with non-animal techniques) provide valuable guidance for the use of *animals***in science.

4)	~~That~~~~t~~The scientific assessment of *animal****welfare***involves diverse elements which need to be considered together, and that selecting and weighing these elements often involves value-based assumptions which should be made as explicit as possible.

5)	~~That~~~~t~~The use of *animals***in agriculture, education and research, and for companionship, recreation and entertainment, makes a major contribution to the wellbeing of people.

6)	~~That~~~~t~~The use of *animals***carries with it an ethical responsibility to ensure the welfare of such *animals***to the greatest extent practicable.

7)	~~That~~Iimprovements in farm *animal welfare***can often improve productivity and food safety, and hence lead to economic benefits.

8)	~~That~~~~t~~The equivalent welfare outcomes based on performance criteria, rather than identical systems based on design criteria, ~~be~~are the basis for comparison of *animal****welfare***standards and recommendations.

Article 7.1.3.

Scientific basis for recommendations

1)	Welfare is a broad term which includes the many elements that contribute to an animal's quality of life, including its physical and mental states~~those referred to in the “five freedoms” listed above~~.

2)	The scientific assessment of *animal welfare*has ~~progressed rapidly in recent years and~~ formed~~s~~ the basis of these recommendations.

3)	Some measures of *animal welfare*involve assessing the degree of impaired functioning associated with injury, disease and malnutrition. Other measures provide information on *animals*' needs and affective states such as hunger, pain and fear, often by measuring the strength of *animals*' preferences, motivations and aversions. Others assess the physiological, behavioural and immunological changes or effects that *animals*show in response to various challenges.

4)	Such measures can lead to criteria and indicators that help to evaluate how different methods of managing *animals***influence their welfare.

##### Article 7.1.4.

Guiding principles for the use of measures to assess animal welfare

~~1)	the OIE~~WOAH*animal welfare*standards ~~to be applicable globally, they~~should emphasise the~~favourable~~consequences that any treatments on animals may have on their welfare and they should be applicable globally.~~outcomes for the~~*~~animals~~*~~, although, in some circumstances, it may be necessary to recommend specific conditions of the~~~~~~*~~animals~~*~~' environment and management. Outcomes are generally measured by assessing the extent to which~~~~~~*~~animals~~**~~~~*~~experience the "five freedoms" described in Article~~~~7.1.2.~~

2)	For each principle listed in Article 7.1.5., the most relevant criteria (or measur~~abl~~es), ideally comprising animal-based measures, defined as an evaluation of a response of an animal or as an effect on an animal used to assess its welfare, should be included in the standard. Any given animal-based measure ~~may~~should be linked to one or more of these~~than one~~ principles.

3)	Recommendations should, whenever possible, define explicit targets or thresholds that should be met for animal-based measures. Such target values should be based on relevant science and experience of experts.

4)	~~In addition to~~ While animal-based measures are preferable, if they cannot be defined,one may use resource-based measures, defined as an evaluation of a feature of the environment in which the animal is kept or to which is exposed and management-based measures, defined as an evaluation of what the *animal handler* does, and with which management processes or tools.~~may be used and~~The use of any of these three measures should be defined on the basis of science and expert experience showing that a welfare outcome is clearly linked to an animal as well as to a resource or ~~to~~ a management procedure.

**RATIONALE:**To emphasise that the ideal measures are animal based and an attempt to define animal-based measures should occur prior to utilizing resource or management-based measures.

5)	~~Users of the standard~~Members should select the most ~~appropriate animal-based~~relevant measures for their farming system or environment, from among those listed in the standard. Welfare~~O~~outcomes can be measured by an assessment of individuals or animal groups, or a representative sample of those, using data from *establishments*, transport or*slaughterhouses/abattoirs*. *Competent Authorities*should collect all data relevant for the users to set target and threshold values.

6)	Whatever the basis of the measure, if welfare outcomes are unsatisfactory, ~~users~~Members should consider what changes to resources or management are necessary to improve the welfare   outcomes.

##### Article 7.1.5.

General principles for the welfare of animals in livestock production systems

1)	Genetic selection should always take into account the health and welfare of *animals*.

2)	*Animals*chosen for introduction into new environments should be suited to the local climate and able to adapt to local diseases~~,~~~~parasites~~ and nutrition.

3)	The physical environment, including the substrate (walking surface, resting surface, etc.), should be suited to the species so as to minimise risk of injury and transmission of diseases or parasites to *animals*.

4)	The physical environment should allow comfortable resting, safe and comfortable movement including normal postural changes, and the opportunity to perform ~~types of~~ natural behaviour that *animals***are motivated to perform.

5)	Social grouping of *animals***should be managed to allow positive social behaviour and minimise injury, distress and chronic fear.

6)	For housed *animals*, air quality, temperature and humidity should not be aversive and should support good animal health ~~and not be aversive~~. Where extreme conditions occur, *animals***should not be prevented from using their natural methods of thermo-regulation.

7)	*Animals***should have access to sufficient *feed***and water, suited to the *animals*' age and needs, to maintain normal health and performance~~productivity~~and to prevent severe or prolonged hunger and~~,~~ thirst, malnutrition and~~or~~dehydration.

8)	Diseases ~~and parasites~~ should be prevented and controlled as much as possible through good management practices and *biosecurity*. *Animals***with serious health problems should be isolated and treated promptly or killed humanely if treatment is not feasible or recovery is unlikely.

9)	Where painful procedures cannot be avoided, the resulting pain should be managed to the extent that available methods allow.

10)	The handling of *animals*should foster a positive relationship between humans and *animals*and should not cause injury, panic, lasting fear or avoidable stress.

11)	Owners and handlers should have sufficient skill and knowledge to ensure that *animals***are treated in accordance with these principles.

Report of the Meeting of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission/September 2023	1

Report of the Meeting of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission/September 2023	1