Synthesis of existing knowledge in Pork Quality, Pork Safety and Pig Welfare (module VI)

Status quo: 30 October, 2008
Co-ordinated by Karel H. de Greef, Animal Sciences Group of Wageningen UR.


Objectives

This module aims at combining and integrating existing scientific information into usable models on pork quality, pork safety and pig welfare.

Main results obtained so far

General: in the first period, three joint products have been developed: a shared modelling language, a central web-based database and common systems description in the form of a base model. The base model has been approved and the testing of the draft database proved its usability.

  • Pork quality: Literature has been explored and the relevant data has been entered into the database. Especially in this activity, the statistical methods for the meta-analyses have been developed and applied on specific topics.
  • Pork safety: Epidemiological traceability studies are providing data for a Salmonella farm model. A ORA model 'Quantitative Risk Assessment of Prevalence of Salmonella in Pork' has been developed and is in the process of publication. In addition to the on farm epidemiology Salmonella study, targeted research has bridged gaps in the literature data on the survival of Salmonella spp. and Yersina enterocolitica as part of the pork processing model.
  • Animal welfare: Outlines of the conceptual approach for the four parts (Animal, Farmer, Consumer and Citizen) have been developed. The animal part is modelled close to Welfare Quality approach. For the Consumer and Citizen, consumer choise models are taken from literature. The representation of the farmer requires further developmental work, possibly based on empirical work again from Welfare Quality.


Improving scientific knowledge

The major scientific contribution of this modelling work package is in the integration of existing knowledge. This reveales new relations, identifies knowledge gaps and allows combination of disciplines. The three activities each focus on one of the three aspects.

  • The Meat quality activity applies a quantitative meta-analysis on published data. Such a combination of data from varying sources allows quantification of effects and interactions in the field of animal, husbandry and processing characteristics.
  • The Meat safety activity is focussed on filling knowledge gaps in data required to develop and/or validate a Salmonella farm model, a basic processing model - Salmonella and a qualitative Y. enterocolitica model from farm to fork.
  • The Animal welfare activity has conceptual modelling as its prime method. The essentials of animal welfare are schematised in relatively simple models based on quite distant disciplines with incompatible attributes (animal and social science) producing a joint overall effects-prediction.

Possible impact for the pork chains

The models that are being produced allow demonstration of effect of changes in production characteristics. This can be used in ex ante judgement of systems changes (what happens if... questions). It is anticipated that the models will be informative for experts because of the combination of domains & disciplines, and that they will be highly informative for lay people of opening up & bringing forward information on complex processes in an integrated format.

Work planned for future

For every activity, a planning is made to extend the current activity in more detail (Meat Quality: data analysis; Meat safety: model development & validation; Animal Welfare: develop representations for animals, farmers, consumers and citizens). Presently, all three activities are delivering first results. In the forthcoming period, these results will be interpreted to make the choice how much integration between the separate model components is feasible and desireable. This choice will substantially affect the work planning of 2009.