IAWS: Improving Meat Quality Through Animal Welfare
If an animal is under stress, it will not have glycogen in the blood at the time of slaughter and that absence will cause the postmortem pH not to decrease enough, affecting the organoleptic qualities of meat. Housing practices, health care measures, diseases, transport and nutritional management procedures could also affect animal physiology and, as a consequence, meat quality.
Many scientific studies correlate that by enhancing animal welfare, livestock improve their productivity and the quality of their meat. Therefore, thanks to the Animal Welfare and Biosecurity Technical Regulation INTERPORC ANIMAL WELFARE SPAIN (IAWS), the Spanish White Pork Sector is highly committed to breed pork in the most respectful way, reducing stress and enhancing all aspects related to quality: animal welfare, biosecurity, food safety, sustainability, animal health, handling, and traceability.
Feeding, housing, animal health and animal behaviour are the four main principles that endorse the Technical Regulation, which includes requirements established in the European Regulations (the most demanding in the world) as well as others that go further and are more demanding.
Science is also applied by a Scientific Committee of experts in animal welfare that evaluates and decides on any modification that is wished to be applied to the Technical Regulation, which is audited by independent certification bodies and its transparency has been supported by animal rights organizations.
The “Welfare Commitment Certified” seal ensures to consumers that farmers, slaughterhouses and industry in the Spanish White Pork Sector offer safe and quality meat by guaranteeing and certifying animal welfare.
For further information, please check our website: https://www.bienestaranimalcertificado.com/animal-welfare-certified/
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