Regional seminars “Animal welfare in livestock” were held from May 17th to 20th in Krusevac, Novi Sad, Subotica and Zajecar. Seminars were jointly implemented by Veterinary Directorate of Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, Serbian Chamber of Commerce and the project “Reinforcement of Animal health and welfare”.
Some of the topics that were represented at the seminars are: “Definition of animal welfare and evolution, what is actually animal welfare and protection, what is current situation with livestock in Serbia, animal welfare in modern society.
The workshops were attended by representatives of Veterinary Directorate. International and national experts from project „Reinforcement of animal health and welfare“ talked about how to develop a protocol for assessing animal welfare, as well as the importance of animal welfare in modern society. Practical examples for assessing animal welfare protocols on farms are also presented.
Since agriculture is a very important economic branch in Serbia, the livestock sector is growing and developing by adapting to the needs of exports, one of the topics of the seminar was the system of marking and certification of animal welfare.
“Animal welfare is important primarily for animals, so that Serbian legislation is harmonized with EU standards in order to have full access to trade in live animals and food of animal origin”, said Key expert for Animal welfare Antonio Di Nardo. He added that the certification system for animal welfare, together with a reliable labeling system, will ensure that farmers place their products more competitively on the global market.
The project „Reinforcement Animal health and welfare“ supports the Veterinary Directorate of the Ministry of the Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in harmonizing national legislation with the European Union and international standards in the field of animal health and welfare and biosecurity.