Belpork prepares the way for a new Belgian animal welfare module
The Belgian standard provider Belpork of the BePork seal of approval system has developed an animal welfare module for the Belgian pork industry. BePork guarantees high quality Belgian pork. The standards that go beyond legislation focus on animal health, animal welfare, sustainability, food safety and traceability and were designed for the level of animal owners, transport companies, slaughterhouses and cutting plants.
The new module builds on the generic BePork standards and implies far-reaching supra-legal norms that solely serve to improve animal welfare. In addition to the primary level, the slaughterhouse level is also covered. The transport level is already taken into account in detail in the BePork specifications and is therefore no longer dealt with separately in the module.
This cross-level approach to the welfare of animals is not common in international comparison, as many other animal welfare systems at home and abroad are mainly limited to the animal owner level.
In advance, Belpork carefully examined the criteria of the agricultural level of other international system providers and came to the conclusion that the new Belgian animal welfare module is in no way inferior to other systems. Thanks to BePork's seamless, cross-level traceability system, customers at home and abroad can find out at the point of sale which animal welfare criteria the product meets and thus make a conscious purchase decision.
The Belgian module does not see itself as a rigid system. Like the systems of other countries, higher husbandry levels are possible in addition to the entry level. In addition, the module offers food retailers sufficient leeway to distinguish themselves with their own accents.
'In Belgium, animal welfare falls under the jurisdiction of the three regions of Flanders, Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region. The new module is open to all of Belgium. That is a good and important signal. In addition, politicians, under the leadership of the Flemish Minister for Agriculture, Hilde Crevits, are planning to pave the way for all other livestock species to join the voluntary system in the future. It will take time, but the most important thing is that the scaffolding is in place, 'says Dr. med. vet. Liesbet Pluym, Belpork coordinator.
The animal welfare module, from which the animal owners expect better revenues, is now fully operational. There are still a few bureaucratic hurdles to clear before the official launch of the new, transparent Belgian animal welfare label. "The light at the end of the tunnel can already be seen," assures the veterinarian.
