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

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.

• - Written evaluation - 100.0%

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

NAO

CSIRO AND FOOD NUTRICIONAL SCIENCES. Make it safe, a guide to food safety. CSIRO Publishing 

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FERREIRA W.F.C., SOUSA de J.C.F., Microbiologia Volume 1 Lisboa, LIDEL edições técnicas. 1998.

FERREIRA, J.A., FERREIRA C. Doenças infecto-contagiosas dos animais domésticos. Lisboa, Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, 4ª ed. ISBN: 972-31-0539-X. 1990

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GREGORY, N.G.. Animal welfare and meat science. UK, CABI Publishing, ISBN 0-85199-296-X 1998

QUARESMA C. Alimentos Seguros – Regras fundamentais – Sobreda – Portugal, ISBN 972-9537-5-9. 2001.

YASMINE M., MOY G. and TODD E. Encyclopedia of Food Safety. Elsevier. 2014

EKESBO, I. (2018). Farm Animal Behaviour. Characteristics for Assessment of Health and Welfare. 2nd Edition. CABI, 360 p. ISBN 9781786391391

GRANDIN, TEMPLE (2015). Improving Animal Welfare. A Practical Approach. CABI, 376 p., ISBN 9781780644684

Manual de Bem-Estar Animal (2018). Direção Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária (DGAV) e Confederação dos Agricultores de Portugal (CAP).