Food Safety and Animal Welfare

It is recommended the attendance with success of the discipline Animal Biological Unit.

In order to achieve the objectives of the course and to confer the competences foreseen for the students, the teaching-learning process is based on the following teaching methodologies:

1) Classroom exposure with powerpoint presentations and video viewing on the topics covered.

2) Performing practical work in the field (field trip to explorations and a slaughterhouse) and bibliographic research with report writing and presentations in powerpoint in the classroom.

Animal production is a very important part of the human feeding system, so it is essential to know the needs of animals producing milk, meat and eggs offering them welfare conditions throughout their production cycle.

This course will allow the student to gain an overview of the most relevant aspects of the ideal conditions for animal welfare on a farm, during transport and at slaughter. Food security is nowadays a multidisciplinary theme that requires in-depth knowledge by all actors in the food or animal food production chain.

Know and understand the concepts of Animal Welfare and Food Safety.

Identify the signs of animal stress in different livestock species.

Plan the best practices of a livestock farm taking into account animal welfare.

Plan the livestock production ensuring to obtain a product that guarantees food safety.

Module 1 (60%): Animal Welfare

1. Animal Welfare on Farm – Ruminants and Monogastric: Cattle, Swine and Poultry Behavior – Normal and Abnormal, Impact of housing, food and environment on animal welfare and meat and egg quality.

2. Animal Welfare of Aquatic Animals – Welfare of farmed / aquaculture fish

3. Animal Welfare in transport and slaughter – Cattle, Pigs and Poultry – Legislation – Meat Quality – Factors of influence

4. Welfare evaluation. Indicators for welfare evaluation. Animal based indicator or animal based measures, at farm or slautherhouse. Welfare certification and labelling schemes. 

Module 2 (40%): Food Safety

4. The concept and importance of food safety in consumer health.

5. The slaughter process and its importance in food safety.

6. Necessary conditions for bacterial growth and ways to prevent it in food.

7. Pathologies of bacterial, viral, parasitic and prionic origin conveyed by the food.

8. Fish and Food Security.

9. Dairy Products and Food Safety.

Continuous evaluation
Modular assessment. 2 Modules:

• Module 1- Written test (70%) + presentation and discussion of work (30%) - 60% of the final grade
• Module 2 - Written test (100%)  - 40% of the final grade

Module 1 will be evaluated through a written test (70% of the Module) and a presentation of a work (group or individual; 30% of the Module) . Module 2 will be evaluated by a written test (100%).

Final Classification = (0,6 x M1) + (0,4 x M2)
M1 = Classification of Module 1 = 0,7 x Written test 1 + 0,3 x Presentation 1
M2 = Classification of Module 2 = Written test 2 

A student is approved when he has fulfilled the minimum value of attendance in classes (67% for each type of class), obtained a weighted average of the module classifications equal to or greater than 9.5 and a classification equal to or greater than 7.5 values, in each of the modules and evaluation instruments.

A student not approved during the teaching period has access to assessment by final exam at a time foreseen in the academic calendar.

Students who have obtained a score of 9.5 or higher on the assessment instruments during the continuous assessment are exempted from taking that assessment instrument in the final exam.

Only assessment instruments scored as 9.5 or higher can be considered from the previous year, in case of failing students.

Final exam
Written and oral test(s) with the same components and weightings proposed for continuous assessment. The exam includes the presentation and discussion of a work.
When approval is not obtained by continuous assessment, the student has access to the final exam. The conditions for assessment in the exam, normal season, recourse and special, are described in the first cycle studies regulation from Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra.

NAO