“In 2011 the Delegates of the OIE did not reach a consensus on a text on animal welfare of broiler chickens and this year’s consensus on livestock is a huge step forward. This is a historical event that opens way to the adoption of animal welfare standards of other farm animal production,” OIE Director General said.

The new adopted texts provide for criteria and indicators to measure the welfare beef cattle, nutritious quality of feed, supplementary lighting for cattle that do not have access to natural light, bedding and many other aspects of cattle breeding conditions.

OIE published the first international standards on the welfare of animals in 2005, addressing the transport of animals by land, sea and air, slaughter of animals for consumption and killing of animals for disease control, and then on welfare of laboratory animals and stray dog population control.

Other key decisions of the World Assembly of Delegates this week include new texts on the responsible use of antibiotics in animals for consumption purposes.