Animal Welfare Compromise / Animal Wealfare INTEROVIC Spain (AWIS)
The "Organización Interprofesional del Ovino y Caprino de Carne" presents the animal welfare certification mark under the name of Animal Welfare INTEROVIC Spain (AWIS). The label aims to ensure that meat and products derived from sheep and goats
are guaranteed to meet the highest standards of animal welfare and traceability. To obtain this label, products must exceed more than one hundred requirements, established by the Interprofessional, offering and guaranteeing a high level of animal protection.
A compromise which, according to Raúl Muñiz, president of INTEROVIC, was born because "it is our moral and deontological obligation, as compromised professionals, farmers and industrialists, to provide the animal with the necessary care and environment in all its production phases for its correct physical and psychological development and to ensure its compliance".
The main objective of this scheme is to certificate optimum conditions in terms of animal welfare and to avoid any situation of stress or unnecessary suffering in the animals. According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE[i]) it has been proven that alterations to any of the five freedoms it establishes have negative effects on their quality of life; therefore the ability to guarantee natural behaviour is fundamental for animals, but it is also necessary to ensure that they are well fed, protected and healthy.
This certification scheme covers all steps in the production chain of the lamb and kid, including the suckling lamb. From primary production, classification centres and fattening houses, to the final stages of the production process, including controls at the point of sale. In addition, it also includes the certification of the skin and wool.
The novelty of this scheme is that it is based on scientific-technical criteria, of more than one hundred parameters, which define in detail the situation in which a farm and its animals find themselves. In this way, by knowing the characteristics of the environment and livestock management, as well as the condition and behaviour of the animals, the welfare with which the suckling pigs, kids or lambs produced under this label are raised can be guaranteed.
AWIS Animal Welfare INTEROVIC Spain is part of the "Animal Welfare Commitment" seal being developed by several Spanish interprofessionals. This is a pioneering initiative on a worldwide level that reflects the commitment of the sectors involved to comply with the highest standards of livestock welfare.
A useful, reliable and objective tool that INTEROVIC presents to respond to the challenges that society demands from the sector at this time and to guarantee consumers the best possible care for their animals.
¿What is AWIS?
The AWIS label identifies products from sheep and goats, in addition this label includes the scope of the leather.
Animal Welfare and Traceability Technical Regulation
This Technical Regulation establishes the minimum requirements to be met by the "COMMITMENT ANIMAL WELFARE" AWIS implemented by primary production and processing centres in order to be certified by the CABs; The activities carried out by the CABs for the certification of the AWIS"ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT" in processing centres and primary production sites that voluntarily apply for such certification.
Only products that have been certified as 'ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT' BAIE throughout the production chain up to the primary production sites may use the BAIE 'ANIMAL WELFARE COMMITMENT' mark. The mark must also be displayed on the label and must in no way mislead the customer or consumer. On the other hand, the mark may be used in marketing documents and activities as long as the certification is in force and, as in the previous point, without misleading the client or consumer.
The regulation has the following associated documentation:
General Regulations for the Use of the "Animal Welfare Commitment" BAIE Mark.
ANNEX 1A-1. Assessment criteria Animal Welfare and Traceability "Animal Welfare Commitment" BAIE. Sheep typing and fattening centre CTC.
ANNEX 1A-2. Animal Welfare and Traceability Requirements "Animal Welfare Commitment" BAIE. Sheep typing and fattening centre CTC.
ANNEX 1B-1. Assessment criteria Animal Welfare and Traceability "Animal Welfare Commitment" BAIE. Sheep and goat breeding and suckler production centres CL.
ANNEX 1B-2. Animal Welfare and Traceability Requirements "Animal Welfare Commitment" BAIE. Breeding and production centres for sheep and goat milkstock CL.of sheep and goat milkstock CL.
ANNEX 2. Animal Welfare and Traceability Requirements. "Animal Welfare Commitment BAIE. Processing Centres CPS - Slaughter.
ANNEX 3. Animal Welfare and Traceability Requirements. "Animal Welfare Commitment BAIE. CPIA Processing Centres - Food Industry.
ANNEX 4. Animal Welfare and Traceability Requirements. "Animal Welfare Commitment" BAIE. CPP Processing Centres. - Skins.
How to obtain it?
In order to obtain the AWIS label, in addition to the legal requirements in the field of Animal Welfare, additional requirements must be met that represent a high level in this area, such as verification of the environment, biosecurity, housing conditions, food, water, sanitation, among other aspects, also ensuring adequate traceability to ensure the proper use of the brand in the products that are made available to the consumer.
Certification bodies
The certification bodies interested in obtaining the provisional authorization for the certification of the AWIS Technical Regulations, should contact INTEROVIC, through the e-mail interovic @ interovic.es
OIE definition of animal welfare
According to the international standards of the OIE, animal welfare designates "the physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies" (Terrestrial Code).
The OIE's guidelines on terrestrial animal welfare also include the 'five freedoms', enunciated in 1965 and universally recognised, to describe the rights that are the responsibility of man, i.e. to live:
free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition;
free from fear and distress;
free from physical and thermal discomfort;
free from pain, injury and disease;
free to manifest natural behaviour.
