Throughout this text we are going to explain what the famous animal welfare seal consists of, what it is for and what it means that the meat we buy has that seal. It is a label that is becoming popular and there is a lot of confusion about it, as many believe things uncertain. For example, with the vegan food stamp, it is known that this product is not of animal origin, but with the animal welfare stamp, many believe that this beef fillet belonged to a cow that ran super happy for many years in a meadow , and it is not quite like that, but something is coming.
For a few years now, purchasing criteria have evolved and social networks and free access to so much information have helped thousands of people around the world become aware of many realities that had never been raised in their heads. One of them is the option of being able to eat without the need to create animal sacrifice, hence the popularity of vegan and vegetarian diets.
In recent years all this wave of information, awareness and movements has increased the demand for new measures compared to what we used to see as normal and now it seems crazy. Among all these crazy things are the laboratories where research with animals, zoos, Aquariums, bulls, slaughterhouses, all the lies about dairy cows, etc.
So, based on all these open fronts, what do the regulatory bodies do? Are they going to provide a solution, are they going to help raise awareness, are they going to really create welfare for these animals, are they going to regularize the issue of slaughter, etc.? No, they have created a stamp called: Animal Welfare Stamp
What does the animal welfare seal mean?
The Wellfair animal welfare seal is recognized as a very innovative project, and it is true, but it is still insufficient in the eyes of millions of people and more in the midst of the climate crisis where we must reduce meat consumption to drastically reduce CO2 emissions.
Returning to the theme of the seal, it has been developed by IRTA in close collaboration with NEIKER and wants to respond to the growing concern on the part of society that is already 100% aware of the horror that exists behind that container with 4 hamburgers.
This seal has been recognized by the Observatory of Innovation in Mass Consumption. And we do not detract from it, on the contrary, it seems to us an important beginning. We say this because to get this seal, industries will have to pass an exhaustive examination in which the entire process will be controlled and even the smallest details will be taken into account.
What does this seal imply?
The AENOR seal in Spain has the European Welfare Quality standards, so buying meat with this seal of animal welfare could alleviate our conscience since it guarantees that:
- The feeding of the animals has been analyzed, is balanced and is offered in the quantities necessary for each species. So we will know that these animals do not suffer from malnutrition or problems derived from the food that is offered to them daily.
- The animals are in good condition and you have refrigerated areas at your disposal to protect them from the heat and heated areas for the colder seasons. This also implies that the animals have freedom of movement and can roam freely around the facilities.
- The cleaning of the animal and the facilities must be 10, otherwise, this seal is not obtained.
- As for the health of the living being, this is eventually evaluated by veterinarians who personally go to the livestock farms. The percentage of mortality in this farm is also analyzed, as well as the absence of bad practices that inflict pain on the animals, such as castrations without anesthesia, deliveries without medical control, cuts of ears or tails, plucking the antlers, etc.
- The treatment that the animals receive in that farm or livestock operation must be exemplary, respecting their cycles at all times. During the examination, it is analyzed if the human presence scares or interests, if the herds go together or there are members behind, that there is no mistreatment or punishment, that there are no animals in solitude, caged, etc.
Is the animal welfare seal reliable?
We want to think that yes, and even more knowing everything that supports, everything that is behind each exam and that those who achieve that seal have to renew the certification every year, so they have to improve, otherwise they lose the seal
This label is expanding little by little, it appears in local butchers, but we can also see it in some supermarkets. We encourage you to choose meat with this seal, since this way we make sure that the living being that feeds us has had a fairly dignified life.
However, the meat without the AENOR animal welfare seal through Welfair Spain, what makes us see is that these animals live in poor conditions, there is a high mortality rate, they do not have adequate nutrition, they suffer humiliation and abuse, no they live in freedom, but locked up and overcrowded, sometimes they do not have veterinary assistance, etc. Of course, between one option and another there is an abysmal difference and it is up to us to make the bad option disappear one day.
Therefore, and in summary of everything, the seal is reliable and can help a lot to raise awareness in society about the difference in treatment during the life of that animal now turned into a steak, sausage, hamburger, bacon, ham, turkey slices , etc. It sounds very cynical, but it is the truth.
We can visit the official website to find out if we have any doubts. We encourage you to buy meat with this seal, for the benefit of animals and our health. Since the meat of an animal raised in freedom and that has been well fed is not the same as that of one that has never left its cubicle, has not seen the sunlight and eats little and of low quality.
