Development of protocols for the welfare assessment in different animal species
“What is not measured, can not be improved” (WT Kelvin). This line of research focuses on the development of methods for assessing animal welfare in different species. The specific scope may involve protocols for the evaluation of the on-farm welfare according to the Welfare Quality® principles, the implementation of pain scales based on the Grimace Scale model, and the development of adaptability indices to different environmental contexts and rearing systems. These methods are focused on animal-based measures eventually implemented with those environmental-based and, in the case of adaptability indices, with productive indicators. The approach emphasizes the concepts of Positive Animal Welfare and "affect balance" as well as the human-animal relationship. The activities encompass the selection and creation of measures, the development of multivariable indicators, the in vivo application, and the validation of the procedures.
Keywords - ENGLISH
Welfare assessment protocols, Pain scale, Adaptability indices, Animal-based measures, Positive Animal Welfare
Active participants in the research line (PI last author or *)
Laura Menchetti
External Collaborations
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria Università degli Studi di Perugia, Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari dell'Università di Bologna, Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria dell'Università Statale di Milano
Pillar
Animal Health
Macroareas in Animal Health
Animal productions and pets
Email Address
laura.menchetti@unicam.it
Link to Relevant Publications