One welfare a framework to improve animal welfare and human well-being

50 Section 3

3.1 Animal Welfare and Food Safety

Improvements in animal welfare have the potential to reduce food safety

risks, principally through reduced stress-induced immunosuppression, re-

duced incidence of infectious disease on farms and reduced shedding of

pathogens that can infect humans by farm animals, and through reduced

antibiotic use and antibiotic resistance (de Passillé and Rushen, 2005).

Animal welfare has a direct impact on the health of animals and their

bacterial content. Food-producing animals may harbour bacteria that can

be transmitted to other animals or to humans. Poor animal welfare is a

directly contributing factor for increased risk of shedding bacteria, such

as Escherichia coli, Salmonella or Campylobacter, in their faeces. This

can result in increased risk of cross-contamination, productivity losses

due to illness or contamination of meat (Barham et al., 2002; Callaway

et al., 2006).

Other studies have shown links between poor animal welfare states,

such as stress, as contributory factors to the variable presentation of bac-

teria such as campylobacteriosis (Cogan et al., 2007).

Considering the type of environment animals are raised in, some studies

have reported that free-range and organic systems are examples where im-

provements to animal welfare – by using an extensive system rather than an

intensive indoors one – may expose livestock to increased numbers of bacteria

or parasites and hence increase the risk to food safety. They also report that

this danger can be reduced or even reversed with adequate risk management,

mainly consisting of monitoring and improved management practices (Kijlstra

and Bos, 2008; Norwood and Lusk, 2013). Moreover, a range of studies shows

that industrial livestock production plays an important part in the emergence,

spread and amplification of pathogens (CAST, 2005; Otte et al., 2007). A full

review of the different risks and management solutions available is necessary

in order to progress.

This means that livestock management practices, including housing,

handling and management routines, impact animal welfare and can

also affect food safety. For example, a pig study found that increased

feed withdrawal times affected the gut microbial ecosystem (the caecal

pH increased). Changes in pH could be associated with increased caecal

Enterobacteriaceae and Salmonella in faeces, which may represent a higher

risk of carcass contamination in cases of laceration of viscera (Martín-

Peláez et al., 2009). The use of management practices that achieve better

animal health and welfare decreases the risk of disease spread and subse-

quent impacts on food safety. Farms with good animal welfare manage-

ment have also been found to be, on average, more technically efficient

(Czekaj et al., 2013).