When talking about the animal condition, the term “animal welfare” is omnipresent but is often misused. The law of July 10, 1976 relating to the protection of nature indicates that “any animal being a sentient being must be placed by its owner in conditions compatible with the biological imperatives of its species” . 

Since then, scientific advances have made it possible to better understand and define animal welfare. In 2018, the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (ANSES) defined animal welfare as “the positive mental and physical state linked to the satisfaction of their physiological and behavioral needs, as well as their expectations. This state varies according to the perception of the situation by the animal” . The feelings of animals should therefore be taken into account, thanks in particular to behavioral and physiological indicators.

This conference organised by our French member La Fondation Droit Animal, Éthique et Sciences will make it possible, through constructive exchanges, to establish priorities in the face of the challenges of the farming sector and thus lay the foundations for a future of farming that further integrates animal welfare. Participants will be able to identify the most effective actions that we can no longer neglect if we want to respect animals.

The conference will take place over a full day from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Professionals from the farming sector, journalists, scientists, parliamentarians and members of animal protection groups will discuss around several roundtables and respond to questions from the audience. The conference will be filmed and the videos available online.

The program

8:30 a.m .: Welcome

9:30 a.m .: Welcome speech and objectives by Louis Schweitzer - President of the LFDA

9.45 a.m .: Society and animal welfare by Elsa Delanoue - sociologist Institut de l'Elevage, Institut du porc

10 am: Round table 1. Animal welfare and the contributions of science

• Michel Baussier - Honorary President of the National Council of the Order of Veterinarians

• Alain Boissy - INRAE, director of the national reference center on animal welfare

10:40 am: Roundtable 2. Is animal welfare profitable?

• Séverine Fontaine - Quality Director for the Animal Sector at Carrefour

• Hervé Guyomard - INRAE, president of the LIT Ouesterel association

• Loïc Hénaff - Chairman of the Management Board of the Hénaff Group

11:20 a.m .: Questions and discussions with the audience

12 noon: Speech by Christiane Lambert - president of the FNSEA

12:30 p.m .: Lunch break

2 pm: Round table 3. Helping farmers to improve animal welfare: legislative and regulatory avenues

• Loïc Dombreval - deputy and president of the study group on animal conditions at the National Assembly

• Muriel Falaise - lecturer in private law, University of Lyon 3

• Younous Omarjee - MEP and member of the Animal Welfare and Conservation Intergroup

2:40 p.m .: Round table 4. Accelerating progress through consumer information

• Yves de la Fouchardière - Managing Director of Fermiers de Loué

• Jean-Charles Naouri - Chairman and CEO of the Casino group

• Louis Schweitzer - President of the Animal Welfare Etiquette Association (AEBEA)

3:20 p.m .: Break

3:30 p.m .: Round table 5. The future of breeding

• Philippe Mauguin - CEO of INRAE

• Thierry Roquefeuil - President of CNIEL

4:10 p.m .: Questions and discussions with the audience

5 p.m .: Conclusion by Julien Denormandie - Minister of Agriculture and Food

To register for the conference, click here.