35530 - Animal Welfare and Production Quality

Learning outcomes

The course is aimed to make students able to:

1)      Assess the welfare level of farm animals;

2)      Recognize the relationships between animal welfare, rearing system and animal product quality.

Course contents

The concept of animal-derived food quality (consumer perspective, industrial perspective, ethic implications).

Animal welfare: concept, indicators and methods for its assessment (ANI and Welfare Quality score systems).

The role of animal welfare on product quality. 

The perception of animal welfare by consumers.

The quality of foods deriving from non-intensive farming systems: the example of the Organic Method (Reg. 834/2007 and 848/2018)

Practical activity performed at the Faculty dairy farm  aimed to assess the welfare level of animals by means of validated score systems.

Readings/Bibliography

1) Slides and notes available online in the teacher's web site

2) Further reading:

 

Caccioni D. e Colombo L. 2012. Il Manuale del Biologico. Edagricole (BO)

Fraser A.F. e Broom D. 1997. Farm animals behaviour and welfare. CABI Publishing (UK).

Napolitano F., De Rosa G., Grasso F. 2007. Comportamento e benessere degli animali in produzione zootecnica. Aracne Editrice. Roma

Webster J. 2011. Management and welfare of farm animals (5th ed.) Wiley-Blackwell (UK)

Teaching methods

This course consists of formal lectures, supervised individual work mainly dealing with welfare assessment of dairy cows and/or pigs kept in the Department facilities.

Assessment methods

Written examination based  on multi-answers questions and open questions. The written test is  always followed by an oral discussion with the teacher. Booking for the examination can be esclusively done by means of Alma Esami web system. The examinations take place every month (indicatively).

Teaching tools

PC slides, internet, laboratories and in-farm activities.

Office hours

See the website of Giovanna Martelli