The concept of animal welfare generally refers to the five freedoms developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in the early 1970s: from hunger, thirst and poor nutrition; from environmental discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; from fear and stress; and freedom to express species-typical behaviour. Animal welfare is a goal constantly pursued by breeders: a guarantee for consumers. The organised poultry sector has been active for about 70 years, and has responsibly engaged independently with institutions, consumers and all actors in the supply chain to continuously improve animal welfare, food quality and safety, and the sustainability of production processes. For example, female laying hens belong to a breed selected to produce eggs and their characteristics require precise attention and precise food ‘diets’ respecting their precise needs identified after years of studies… animal welfare is also this.
