MEXICO – Last week, during the 93rd General Session of the World Organization for Animal Health, Humane World for Animals Mexico joined an international panel on animal welfare during transport. The May 20 panel included representatives from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE), the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, WOAH member country delegates and private-sector transport actors. The panel discussion centered on fundamental standards of treatment of animals transported by land, sea and air. Veterinarian Marcela Valadez Noriega, animal welfare specialist at Humane World for Animals Mexico, represented the organization on the panel.
Humane World for Animals Mexico attends as a member of the International Coalition for Farm Animal Welfare, a coalition of organizations working alongside WOAH to advance better transport standards for animals worldwide. The WOAH General Session convenes delegates from its member countries each year to set global standards on animal health and welfare. This year marks the first revision of the global standards that govern animal transport and the first time WOAH has allowed non-governmental organizations to participate in discussions of updates to those standards.
The standards up for revision include Chapter 7.3, on the transport of animals by land; Chapter 7.2, on the transport of animals by sea; and Chapter 7.4, on the transport of animals by air. These chapters set the global standards for one of the most critical junctures in an animal’s life and directly influence legislation, international trade, and the corporate social responsibility standards of multinational companies and global financial institution."The update of the transport chapters represents a key advocacy window to strengthen global standards at a stage where animals are particularly vulnerable. Animals in transit may face multiple stressors including long journeys, high temperatures, inadequate ventilation, overcrowding and insufficient access to water and feed. Sharing practical experiences and operational solutions across countries and sectors is essential to close the gaps that persist between what standards require and what actually happens during transport,” said Dr. Marcela Valadez Noriega, animal welfare specialist at Humane World for Animals Mexico.
The participation of a Mexican expert on a panel of this level reaffirms Humane World for Animals' commitment to scientific rigor and to taking an active role in the forums where international animal welfare frameworks are shaped. The organization sustains an ambitious reform agenda in Mexico with producers, companies, financial institutions and public authorities, grounded in technical evidence and international best practices.
Humane World for Animals will continue to contribute to multilateral dialogue on animal welfare standards at WOAH and to work at every stage of the supply chain to reduce the suffering of farmed animals.
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