Use of protocols of certification
Management of the Welfare Assessment System and Support Instruments
Conditions of Use and Implementation
To facilitate a harmonized and effective implementation of the assessment systems, the Welfare Quality Network will help to define the conditions of use and describe the sorts of claims that can be made on the basis of the outcomes of the assessments. The Network is also available to evaluate implementation plans proposed by stakeholders and to advise on compliance with the defined conditions of claims.
Roadmap towards implementation of Welfare Quality® assessment systems
This document is meant to give guidance to collaborative efforts between (partners of) the Welfare Quality Network and companies in supply chains, aiming to implement welfare assessments according to Welfare Quality® protocols. It aims to describe the different stages in an implementation trajectory as well as related requirements, roles of partners, involvement of the WQN, etc. It also briefly describes the claims a company can make based on the outcomes of a specific stage.
This roadmap should be discussed and agreed between a company and a Welfare Quality Network partner during the definition of their collaboration. Confidentiality is an important issue in this process. From the beginning, it has to be agreed between the company and the Welfare Quality Network what the level of confidentiality is throughout the different steps of the process.
In this process, the Welfare Quality Network is represented by the WQN Implementation Committee 1.
At the start of the collaboration, indicative cost estimates are provided to the commercial partner, including costs of the work of the WQN partner and costs of the involvement of the Welfare Quality Network in the different phases described below.
1 The WQN Management Team accepted to act as Implementation Committee (see notes GA 14 December 2011)
Scope
Involved: The commercial partner and the WQN partner. The WQN partner informs the WQN Implementation Committee.
Activities: In this phase a company interacts with a WQN partner to define aims, goals, and the way of implementation of the Welfare Quality® protocols. This includes, for instance, the definition of the likely number of farms involved, who will conduct the assessments, the aspiration level (acceptable, enhanced, excellent), whether all farms should be included (i.e., is the aspiration level determined by the lowest-level farm), the expected timeline, and how outcomes will be used (B2B, product marketing, own label, WQ label, etc.). The collaboration is defined, including the WQN involvement and approach as described in this document, being a requirement for WQ name and logo use.
Output: Document describing the scope of the planned use of Welfare Quality® protocols. This document is also made available to the Implementation Committee.
Fact finding
Involved: The commercial partner, the WQN partner, and the farms involved.
Activities: The WQN partner visits a sample of farms that will be included in the assessment programme and carries out Welfare Quality® assessments. The aim is to obtain an overview of the welfare status of those farms and to estimate the scope for improvement. The capacities of the company (organization, infrastructure) relevant for a successful implementation of WQ assessments are also evaluated.
Output: Report with a preliminary assessment of the farms and a discussion of the welfare status of the farms in this specific supply chain. If applicable, areas requiring attention will be identified. Confidential advice on the likelihood of successful implementation may, on request, be provided by the Implementation Committee.
Claims: ‘We are working with the WQN to define strategies in our business to assess and safeguard animal welfare’
Involved: Commercial partner and WQN partner, WQN Implementation Committee.
Activities: The WQN partner, in collaboration with (other partners of) the WQN, defines the trajectory to implement structures and activities to achieve the defined goal. This includes the definition of and requirements for training, assessors, farm visits, data handling (by WQN), WQN partner involvement, etc., as well as a description of a pilot phase and a full timeline.
Output: Description of the trajectory of implementation (including an estimation of the financial consequences) of Welfare Quality® assessments in the specified supply chain. This has to be agreed by the company, the WQN partner, and the WQN Implementation Committee.
Claims: ‘We are working with the WQN to implement animal welfare assessment in our supply chain’
Involved: Commercial partner, WQN partner, WQN Implementation Committee, and selected farms.
Activities: In this pilot, assessors linked to the company are trained by WQN partner(s) (or certified WQ trainers) and a selection of farms in the company’s supply chain is assessed. The data are handled and integrative scores calculated by WQN partners.
Output: A report with the results of the assessments on the pilot farms and a critical evaluation of the pilot phase defining necessary improvements. The report is also made available to the WQN Implementation Committee to support the decision process.
Claims:
For the assessed farms: ‘Assessed in collaboration with the WQN’
For the company: ‘We are working with WQN to implement welfare assessment and to use this to improve welfare in our supply chain’
Involved: Commercial partner, WQN partner, and WQN Implementation Committee.
Activities: Definition of further implementation trajectory on the basis of the results from the pilot and decision on agreement to use the Welfare Quality® name and logo.
Output: A plan for further implementation in the whole supply chain as well as related conditions (re-training of assessors, changes of routines, etc.). This plan needs to be agreed between the company, the WQN Implementation Committee, and involved WQN partners. The company and WQN should also sign an agreement allowing the use of the logo by the company under the requirement of implementing the agreed plan. A positive decision will be made available to the whole WQN (a negative one will not).
Claims: For the assessed farms: ‘We are working with WQN to implement welfare assessment and to use this to improve welfare in our supply chain (as above)’
Involved: Commercial partner and farms in the supply chain, WQN partner, WQN Implementation Committee.
Activities: Roll-out of the implementation plan including further training, assessments, calculation of scores, and communication of the results (Business to Business, to consumers, or otherwise). This includes the possible use of the Welfare Quality® label together with the assessed level (acceptable, enhanced, excellent).
Output: Fully implemented assessment scheme including a growing database with assessment outcomes.
Claims:
For the assessed farms: ‘Welfare Quality® assessed’
For the company: ‘Our products are Welfare Quality® assessed’
Certification Scheme Supported by the Welfare Quality Network: