• At the NEIKER technology centre we have been working for more than 17 years to provide the sector with scientific knowledge and technological tools to evaluate and improve animal welfare.

Ensuring animal welfare is a necessity in the livestock sector, as it not only contributes to the improvement of animal health and production efficiency, but is also an ethical responsibility towards the animals.

Animal welfare can be defined as a state of equilibrium, which is reached when the physiological and behavioral needs of animals are met with respect to the environment in which they live. Therefore, it is essential to provide them with adequate food, continuous access to water and to maintain appropriate living conditions for the development of their behavioral needs according to the species. Maintaining standards that take into consideration the needs of the animals to achieve an optimal level of welfare will result in better health, improved productivity and greater sustainability of the production system.

Physiology and behavior, intrinsically linked through millennia of co-evolution, feed back on each other, allowing the survival and evolution of the species. Thus, both physiological and behavioral parameters are reliable indicators of animal welfare.

Behavioral changes, often precursors to physiological effects, act as a first line of defense against stressful situations. For example, in the heat, animals will seek shelter and pant before experiencing adverse physiological alterations. Conversely, physiological changes, such as those caused by infections, induce behavioral changes to combat disease or mitigate its effects. Likewise, certain behaviors, such as the search for food and water, respond to the need to satisfy basic physiological requirements.

In this context, at the NEIKER technology centre we have been working in this area for more than 17 years, providing the sector with information and scientific tools to evaluate and improve animal welfare. Through studies and research projects, we have developed methodologies that allow producers to apply improvements based on scientific evidence.

Since 2008, at NEIKER we have consolidated our work in this field with the incorporation as IKERBASQUE Senior Researcher of Dr. Inma Estevez to the Department of Animal Production. A leading researcher in animal behaviour and welfare, she is internationally recognised and is listed in the Stanford University ranking of the most influential scientists in her area of research. Her work, together with researchers Dr. Xavier Averós in poultry farming, and Drs. Ina Beltrán de Heredia and Roberto Ruiz in small ruminants, all of them with extensive experience in projects related to animal welfare, has allowed the design of specific protocols to assess the welfare of different livestock species, such as turkeys, chickens and sheep, establishing reference indicators to measure their condition and detect possible problems.

‘When animals have their physiological and behavioural needs met, their immune system is strengthened and they can cope with diseases more effectively, reducing the need for veterinary treatment. Assessing their welfare through health and behavioural indicators allows us to identify problems early and improve their quality of life, which also translates into more efficient and sustainable production,’ she says.

 

One of NEIKER’s most outstanding advances in this field has been the development of the iWatch Turkey app, the world’s first mobile application designed ad hoc for the assessment of animal welfare in commercial systems.

This tool allows the health and welfare of turkeys on farms to be measured in an objective and quantifiable way, making it easy for farmers and veterinarians to make comparisons with previous measurements in a simple and quick way. ‘The user enters information on housing conditions and management practices so that the application can relate it to indicators of poultry behaviour, health and welfare,’ Estevez explains.

Welfair® Certification

Another of NEIKER’s milestones in this field is its collaboration with the Institute of Agri-Food Research and Technology (IRTA) in the development of the Welfair® certification, a pioneering seal based on the protocols of European research projects such as Welfare Quality and AWIN®, which makes it possible to identify products from farms that apply management practices in line with the continuous improvement of animal welfare.

Specifically, Welfair® certification guarantees that farms meet advanced scientific criteria for animal welfare and provides the sector with tools to progressively improve the conditions of their animals.

To complement our work, we have specialised infrastructures at the Arkaute Agri-Food Campus, where we have a poultry farm and a flock of Latxa breed dairy sheep. In addition, we actively collaborate with the sector in livestock farms or commercial farms, which allows us to apply and validate the methodologies developed in real conditions and maintain constant contact with the sector, ensuring