Food Safety and Animal Welfare

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%)

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

Module 2 (40%)

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.

• - Written evaluation - 100.0%

• - Module 1: Written test (35%) + presentation and discussion of group work (15%) - 50.0%
• - Module 2: Written test (35%) + presentation and discussion of group work (15%) - 50.0%

NAO