Includes bibliographical references and index.

Health and welfare of domestic animals is a prominent issue in society and in all public discussions about animal production. The public is concerned about the health and welfare of production animals, the lack of individual control, the large group sizes and high technology input. As a response, governments have been integrating animal welfare requirements, use of medication and product safety in national and international regulations. Parallel to this, more and more producers of animal products claim to meet specific health and welfare standards, and these products are marketed as 'safe' with respect to human health or as being produced in an 'animal friendly' way. As a consequence of these developments, there is an increasing need for methods to measure and monitor health and welfare, to control the (quality of) production (ISO, HACCP) and to certificate farms that comply with health and/or welfare requirements of their customers. This need is not only related to existing housing systems; both governments and society demand insight into the health and welfare aspects of new, alternative housing systems preceding the introduction in practice. This publication presents a selection of the oral presentations in the 'Management of Health and Welfare' and the 'Alternative housing systems for pigs and laying hens' sessions of the EAAP meeting in The Hague which give a broad overview of the different perspectives on how management-, and certification systems as well as new housing systems can contribute to animal husbandry methods which are accepted by both society and consumers.

English

Description based on print version record.