EnviroVet has started animal welfare audits under the Welfare Quality® protocol at slaughterhouses. Atria’s slaughterhouse was the first to be audited. The audit was carried out in 2018 and the results were completed in February.

Objective and measured well-being

The audit looked at animal conditions, behavior and response to prevailing conditions. The metrics are based on international top-level research and provide information on the real experiences of animals The results of feeding, barn, animal health and behavioral metrics were compared with international material and Atria’s overall result was in the category ‘good’ (Enchanted).

The objective of the Welfare Quality ® protocol is to define the welfare of farm animals with criteria for assessing the environment of animals. The focus is on indicators that describe the animals themselves. The aim is to get a picture of the actual effects of the environment, handling and treatment on the animal and how the animals react to them. In addition, the slaughterhouse’s ability to control animal flow and animal welfare requirements is assessed.