dc.description.abstract | The Norwegian Food Safety Authority (NFSA) asked the Norwegian Scientific Committee for
Food Safety (Vitenskapskomiteen for mattrygghet, VKM) for a risk assessment on turkey
welfare. The VKM report will be used by NFSA in assessing the need for amending the
existing regulations, competence requirements, and guidelines for surveillance and control
related to keeping turkeys.
Inspectors from NFSA have reported that there are serious animal welfare challenges in
today’s turkey production, despite the fact that producers largely comply with the existing
species-specific legislation for turkeys. Compared with the legislation on broilers, current
legislation on turkeys is limited and has not been revised since 2001.
VKM was asked to describe the physiological and behavioural needs of turkeys (Meleagris
gallopavo) in general, to assess welfare risks related to living area, animal densities, air
quality, bedding, feeding and watering, and lighting regimes in turkeys kept for meat
production. Description of risk-reduction measures was requested specifically with regards to
living area, bedding, and feeding and watering. Relevant welfare indicators for turkeys were
also to be described. Additionally, assessment of welfare risks related to semen collection
(SC) and artificial insemination (AI) in parent stock were requested, together with a
description of relevant risk-reduction measures. Organic production of turkey meat and the
genetic constitution of the hybrids kept for meat production were not included in the
request. Handling and transport of day old turkeys from hatchery to farm was excluded, as
was handling related to transport and slaughter of turkeys kept for meat production. Welfare
aspects of parent stock other than with respect to SC/AI were also excluded from the
request. Nine detailed Terms of Reference were presented to VKM. VKM appointed a project
group consisting of two external experts and two members of the Panel on Animal Health
and Welfare to answer the request. The Panel on Animal Health and Welfare has reviewed
and revised the draft prepared by the project group and finally approved the risk
assessment.
In the risk assessment, the main physiological and behavioural needs of farmed turkeys are
identified and described. Today’s Norwegian turkey production environment may present
obstacles to the fulfilment of several of these needs, regardless of compliance with existing
legislation. Wet bedding is a major hazard to turkey welfare and is a cause of foot pad
lesions and other skin lesions. As these skin conditions are widespread in Norwegian turkey
production, wet bedding seems to represent a high risk to turkey welfare. An important riskreduction measure would be to minimise the likelihood of the litter becoming wet, by
preventing leakages from the drinking system, by ensuring good gut health, replacing wet
litter, and by establishing optimal ventilation and heating.
Additionally, several moderate welfare risks are identified, including low temperature for
poults, inappropriate diet or poor quality of drinking water, failure of the drinking system, as well as too high or too low light intensities or inappropriate lighting regimes. Also, the
incorrect use of recovery pens is considered to be a moderate welfare risk related to living
area, which may be reduced by introducing appropriate management guidelines. Animal
welfare risks of lesser significance are associated with high temperatures, and failure of the
feeding system.
In addition, several hazards for turkey welfare were identified and characterised. However,
due to lack of data with regards to the exposure of Norwegian turkeys to and/or the welfare
consequences of these hazards, they were not fit for a complete risk assessment. These
hazards include lack of environmental enrichment, insufficient space for movement, resting,
and avoidance, inappropriate stocking densities and different air quality parameters. It
should be noted that the welfare hazards related to insufficient space are of increasing
relevance with progressing age and size of the animals, and that hazard characterisation of
different stocking densities would further be complicated by their interaction with other
factors in the production unit. High levels of dust, ammonia, and other noxious gases are
potential hazards for turkey welfare related to air quality, but sufficient data for risk
characterisation lack.
The “transect walk” method represents a promising method for systematic on-farm
registration of welfare in turkey flocks. Foot pad lesions, breast skin lesions and air sacculitis
are valid animal welfare indicators, that are feasible and appropriate for recording at the
slaughterhouse. Implementing systematic recording of these indicators would assist in
generating an evidence-based document of the turkey welfare situation.
With regards to artificial insemination of parent stock, moderate welfare risks are associated
with damage/haemorrhage inflicted by the AI procedure, as well as routine feed deprivation
prior to AI. Haemorrhage caused by the SC procedure, as well as stress or injuries caused by
herding/catching and handling the turkeys in connection with both SC and AI, are
characterised as low welfare risks. To reduce the welfare risks when performing SC and AI,
the knowledge and skills of the responsible workers are of key importance. | en_US |
dc.identifier.citation | Hoel K, Agdestein A, Bøe KE, Hansen M, Janczak A, Bergh Ø, Brun E, Das Neves CG, Godfroid J, Gudding R, Mejdell CMM, Mortensen S, Rimstad E, Hjeltnes B.(2016) Risk assessment on welfare in turkeys. Opinion of the Panel of Animal Health and Welfare of the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety.<i> Norwegian Committee for Food Safety, VKM Report, 2016: 03, </i> <br>https://vkm.no/download/18.2994e95b15cc54507161d1f6/1498210611586/724d6a3a60.pdf | en_US |