Study Programmes 2016-2017
ANIM0011-3  
Welfare and ethics in animal productions
Duration :
12h Th, 8h Pr, 4h FT
Number of credits :
Master in agricultural bioengineering (120 ECTS)2
Lecturer :
Nadia Everaert
Language(s) of instruction :
English language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the second semester
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents :
* Introduction: domestication and place of animals in the society with the passing centuries: farm animals producing food, pets, animal as a bioreactor, laboratory animals - Knowledges and accepted values.
* Ethic and welfare of farm animals. - What is animal welfare? definitions; stress; - Indicators of animal welfare; - How to improve farm animal welfare? 
* Ethic and welfare of laboratory animals. - Fields of application: teaching, fundamental research including transgenesis; applied research (drugs and vaccines; food and feed additives; pharmacotoxicology; cosmetics, pesticides, ...); - 3Rs concept in animal experimentation: replacement, refinement, reduction; examples; limit point; Mepham matrix; - Alternatives methods: possibilities and limitations.
* Legal aspects: european and belgian legislations; ethic council.
* Personal or small groups research of information and critical analysis of a production systems or of an experimental protocol; alternative production systems; alternative experimental methods;(visits of farms, laboratories, survey, ...).
Oral presentation to the other students and to the teacher followed by an interactive discussion.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit :
The student will be able to make an ethical reflection concerning the relationship between human and animals, animal welfare in animal production systems and experimentation. After completing the course the student is expected to - become acquainted with different aspects of animal welfare; - establish specifications of production systems and experimental protocols respectful of animal welfare; - give an ethical standpoint on animal production systems and experimental designs.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Students should have a basic knowledge on animal production and production systems.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Lectures : 12h; Personnal Works : 12h; The course is taught in English. The presentations of the students are also in English
Recommended or required readings :
Recommandations du Conseil de l'Europe Directives européennes et législation belge en la matière Farm Animal Well Being(Ewing, Lay, Von Borall) - Prentice Hall, 1999, 357 pages. Le bien-être animal - Regard éthique (ouvrage collectif) - Editions du Conseil de l'Europe, 2006, 296 pages.
PowerPoint available on line.
Assessment methods and criteria :
Personal work (presentation of the group work, participation to the discussions) (100 %)
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
Nadia Everaert
nadia.everaert@ulg.ac.be
Items online :
Notes on line
PowerPoint available on ecampus. Electronic version of documents on MyULg.