Posts

, ,

European institutions visit the poultry and pork sector in Spain to learn firsthand about the reality of animal transport and farm welfare.

AVIANZA and ANPROGAPOR, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, are showing the European Commission team the progress made by the Spanish sector in professionalization, innovation and real animal welfare measures ahead of the crucial processing of the amendments to the new animal transport regulations in Europe.

Madrid, June 30, 2025As part of the review process for European regulations on the transport of live animals, representatives from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) visited various poultry and pig farms in Spain this week. They sought to gain firsthand knowledge of the current situation in these sectors and the animal welfare measures applied throughout the logistics process.

The visit was led by Andrea Gavinelli, head of the Animal Welfare Unit of DG SANTE, accompanied by Lucie Carrouée, deputy director of the unit and Mitja Sedlbauer, Policy Officer. During the day, European officials were able to observe firsthand how animals are loaded and transported on pig and poultry farms, as well as the innovative measures implemented to ensure their well-being.

Spain, as a key livestock-producing country in southern Europe, faces specific climatic and geographical conditions that must be taken into account in the new regulations currently under review. Measures such as the ban on daytime transport when temperatures exceed 30°C, currently under consideration in Brussels, could seriously affect the operations of many farms, especially in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, where this situation is common for much of the year. To this end, the sector has invested heavily in adapting its transport processes, pioneering them in Europe.

From AVIANZA, the Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat, and ANPROGAPOR, the National Association of Pig Producers, wanted to showcase the sector's commitment to animal welfare, which has been inherent in these industries for decades, both on farms and in transport, as well as its efforts in training, monitoring, and continuous improvement. Community representatives were able to learn about:

  • The specific conditions and procedures that guarantee animal welfare during transport, loading systems, and specific training for shippers and transporters.
  • Animal transport simulation rooms for technical training.
  • Route tracking systems to prevent sudden braking, excessive speed, or inappropriate stops.
  • Vehicles equipped with ventilation, sprinklers, waterers, and sensors that monitor the state of the animal's environment.
  • Optimized transportation planning to minimize stress and improve comfort.

As has been pointed out Jordi Montfort, Secretary General of AVIANZA, "Our goal is for decisions made in Europe to be based on real-world knowledge. Spain has made a clear commitment to animal welfare and innovation, and this visit is an opportunity to demonstrate that."

For its part, Miguel Ángel Higuera, director of ANPROGAPOR, stressed "the importance of adapting regulations to the context of countries like Spain, where livestock farming is an essential, professionalized activity committed to continuous improvement."

The delegation was also accompanied by Josep Solé, president of AVIANZA, and by the technical team of Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain (MAPA), whose collaboration has been essential in organizing this event and showcasing the collaborative work between the administration and the sector to strengthen a responsible, innovative, and sustainable meat model.

AVIANZA and ANPROGAPOR hope that this visit will help ensure that the amendments to the European animal transport regulations take into account the experience, progress, and specificities of countries like ours, and allow us to continue building a solid European model adapted to territorial diversity.

Representatives of the poultry sector with representatives of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) of the European Commission.
Representatives of the pig sector with representatives of the European Commission's DG SANTE.
DG Sante team in the animal transport simulation room.
Pig transport truck.

,

Avianza trains professionals in the poultry sector on the animal welfare seal Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS)

 

  • The Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat has met in Madrid more than ninety professionals from all over Spain to delve into the characteristics and processes of this new B+ Animal Welfare Commitment badge, specific for the poultry meat sector
  • This training has been given by Dr. Ana E. Blanco, Agricultural Engineer in Animal Production and Antonio Alegre, veterinarian specializing in poultry farming.

Madrid, February 2, 2024. AVIANZA, the Spanish Interprofessional Association of Poultry Meat, has carried out a complete training day for professionals in the poultry sector where more than ninety attendees from all over Spain have been able to delve deeper and train on a topic as relevant as animal welfare. Specifically, the training has revolved around the new B+ Animal Welfare Commitment certificate, specific for the poultry meat sector, called Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS).

This animal welfare seal was created with the aim of demonstrating the responsibility and awareness of the poultry sector with forms of production that are respectful of animals, improving good animal management practices and, therefore, contributing to greater efficiency in animal production. and higher product quality.

The day included presentations by Dr. Ana E. Blanco, Agricultural Engineer in animal production, and Antonio Alegre, veterinarian specializing in poultry, who carefully explained each of the key points to understand the certification. From specific characteristics of the AAWS seal, to the technical regulations of the animal welfare reference, as well as the audit processes for farms and processing plants.

“The poultry sector has the moral and deontological obligation to provide the greatest possible animal welfare to birds, not only to guarantee compliance with current regulations, but to provide standards beyond the legislation,” said Arán Zaldívar, technical director of Avianza. and added that “consideration for animal welfare is increasingly present among consumers and, therefore, the Spanish poultry sector has to be committed to increasing their confidence with a certification such as Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS). )”.

The commitment to animal welfare in the poultry sector

Improving good animal management practices contributes to greater efficiency in animal production and higher product quality. Hence the importance of all poultry farming professionals being aware of the relevance for their companies of having this certification.

Avianza Animal Welfare (AAWS) is an initiative framed in the common seal “B+ Commitment to Animal Welfare”, a project that arises from the Agri-Food Interprofessional Organizations of the Spanish livestock-meat sector and which brings together the interprofessional organizations of each of the sectors represented. Obtaining the AAWS certification, specific to the poultry meat sector, is necessary to authorize the use of the “B+ Animal Welfare Commitment” Mark.

The AVIANZA Animal Welfare Reference for fattening birds aims to lay the foundations for the strictest animal welfare standards in the production of meat birds. The objective pursued with the certification of the AVIANZA Animal Welfare Reference is to evaluate the animal welfare of poultry farms and processing centers in a standardized and objective manner.

In addition to ensuring compliance with community legal regulations on animal welfare, it raises standards above the legal minimum as it expands the fields of action and control relating to the five freedoms of animal welfare.

On farms, aspects that affect feeding, behavior, management and handling by staff and their relationship with birds, facilities and health are evaluated. While in processing centers, aspects related to the effect of handling by personnel, transportation and related operations, stabling and stunning operations (either electrical or controlled atmosphere), slaughter and possible injuries during these practices. The evaluation is carried out through audits in which direct and indirect conditions that may affect poultry are verified.

This certification is carried out by certification bodies, and is part of a constant evaluation, through follow-up audits, which ensure continuous compliance with the requirements established in the AVIANZA Animal Welfare Reference.

From left To right: Arán Zaldivar, technical director of Avianza; Dr. Ana E. Blanco and veterinarian Antonio Alegre, responsible for training on AAWS.
A moment of training for professionals in the poultry sector on the Avianza Animal Welfare Spain (AAWS) animal welfare seal.
A moment from Dr. Ana E. Blanco's intervention in the training of Avianza.
,

The new common seal of the livestock-meat sector brings its commitment to animal welfare to the tables of Spaniards

  • ANDThe common seal “B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT” includes in a unified image all the meats and products certified by the different certification systems implemented in a coordinated manner by each sector.
  • The Spanish sector thus responds to consumer demands regarding ethical production that is respectful of animal welfare and contributes to ensuring that distribution has certified products on its shelves identified with a single seal that guarantees the best practices in this field. ambit

December 14, 2022. The Spanish livestock-meat sector represented by its six Interprofessional Organizations has presented the common seal «B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT», which includes in a unified image all the meats and products certified by the different certification systems implemented in a coordinated manner by each sector.

This is another pioneering initiative that reflects the commitment of the Spanish livestock sector to compliance with the highest standards of livestock welfare and to consolidate Spain as one of the great international references in animal welfare, highlighting the efforts carried out by the sector, with the ultimate objective of responding to the demands of society and offering:

  • To consumers: guarantee and confidence in the acquisition of their certified products, produced through ethical production systems based on the support of the science of production and animal welfare.
  • To commercial distribution and specialized distribution operators: a certification system that encompasses requirements based on scientific and technical criteria that are more demanding than those required by European and national regulations.

The common seal «B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT» strictly guarantees the products of operators that have been certified through the Technical Procedures and Regulations of the respective "Animal Welfare Commitment" certification schemes, developed by the six Interprofessionals based on the criteria and elements established by ENAC (the National Entity of Accreditation), to obtain your accreditable certification recognition. «B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT» and the respective certification schemes that support it are in a continuous process of verification and improvement, with the objective of recognition and accreditation by ENAC.

The common seal «B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT» was created to facilitate consumers' identification, through a single seal, of all products certified with these certification schemes in the white pork, Iberian pork, rabbit meat, sheep-goat, beef and veal sectors. poultry meat, and to offer distribution companies and specialized distribution greater ease in managing their animal welfare requirements for their suppliers and customers.

The certification system of the six Interprofessionals that now culminates with the common seal «B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT» It complies with the "Five Freedoms" and the principles of Animal Welfare established by the World Organization for Animal Health (WHO). The best Spanish technical and academic specialists in this matter have participated in its development, and it has been endorsed by high-level Scientific Committees, resulting in a certification system that encompasses requirements based on scientific and technical criteria that are more demanding than those required in the European and national regulations.

The certificate developed by each interprofessional, provides recognition, solidity and breadth and allows its adaptation to each livestock production, endorsing the good practices carried out in the areas of well-being, health, biosafety, animal management and traceability in all links. of the production chain, and is responsibly aligned with the “Farm to Fork” strategy and the Green Deal of the European Union, and therefore is also committed to sustainability, quality and food safety.

Behind this seal «B+ ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT» There are hundreds of thousands of ranchers and workers in the sector who make an effort every day and fight for a commitment that they have all acquired, in order to transmit with transparency to the consumer and distribution all the criteria of well-being and ethical production that are They apply in the good care of animals and in attention to the demands received from society in this important aspect of food production.

ASICI. The Interprofessional Association of the Iberian Pig brings together producers and processing industries of Iberian products.

AVIANZA. The Spanish Interprofessional Poultry Meat Association brings together both farms and production centers as well as cutting and processing plants.

INTERCUN. The Interprofessional Organization to promote the Rabbit Sector integrates representatives of the production branch and rabbit meat processing-marketing companies.

INTEROVIC. The Interprofessional Organization of Sheep and Goat Meat represents the producers of this livestock branch and the industrialists and marketers who generate and distribute the derived products.

INTERPORC. The Interprofessional Agri-Food Organization of White-Capped Pigs represents all sectors of the white-capped pork value chain: production, processing and marketing.

PROVACUNO. The Interprofessional Agri-Food Organization of Beef is made up of the main organizations of the production sector and the processing/marketing sector.

More information:

Jose Manuel Alvarez

Interprofessional Platform Coordinator

Livestock-Meat

[email protected]

Meat interprofessionals during the presentation of the B+ Animal Welfare Commitment seal.
Presentation of the B+ Animal Welfare Commitment seal.