EURCAW Ruminants & Equines meeting in Brescia, Italy, successfully convened Competent Authorities (CAs) from 16 EU Member States to discuss the welfare of ruminants and equines.

The programme took place on November 12-13, and included an update on EURCAW Ruminants & Equines activities. This included a ‘storytelling’ session, where four CAs presented on #AnimalWelfare topics in their Member States. A key focus was the use of oesophageal tubing to feed newborn dairy calves and how a ‘Question to EURCAW‘ supported policy development.

We hosted a World Café with Competent Authorities from the 16 EU Member States. During this session, we offered an introductory session to our Community of Practice, which facilitates knowledge exchange on implementing animal welfare regulations for ruminants and equines. Discussion topics included oesophageal tubing use in dairy calves, emergency preparedness, welfare assessment of equines and cattle in events, and electrical stunning of small ruminants.

Additionally, a dedicated roadshow was conducted in Brescia. Roadshows are specifically aimed at official inspectors and are carried out in the language of the EU Member State, with the focus of this particular session being on improving calf welfare on farms.

The week concluded with a fruitful meeting with Italian stakeholders. This session provided an excellent opportunity for valuable knowledge exchange, allowing us to present the work programme of EURCAW Ruminants & Equines and to hear the perspectives of the local stakeholders.