Tool design for assessment and management of welfare in animal husbandry: what action for what purpose?

Regulation has been the main driving force leading to the inclusion of animal welfare in pig farming practices during the phases of rearing, transport and slaughter in Europe. However, as observed in some other countries, many initiatives now include the well-being dimension to varying degrees. It goes from mere compliance with regulation (in some national labels, such as IKB in the Netherlands) to higher technical standards (Organic production), strengthened awareness of farmers through training and use of tools for self‐monitoring (e.g. the code of welfare in New Zealand) or more elaborate evaluation audits (such as TGI systems in Germany or Welfare Quality ®).This reflects the multi-factorial aspect of welfare. Different types of measures are used, related to the animal or its environment. Additional information can be collected (technical reports). In any case, the quality of assessment depends on the quality of the measures (validity, repeatability, robustness) and the choice of indicators is linked to the objectives of the approach (control/certification, risk analysis, expertise/advice).The purpose of this paper is to present the variety of procedures for the construction of monitoring tools including animal welfare, to identify the different initiatives and their goals. Then we indicate some possible evolution of these initiatives within the present and future political and regulatory environment of the European Union.