Facilitating consideration of animal welfare: the National Reference Centre for Animal Welfare (CNR BEA)

As a result of the development of scientific and technical knowledge and growing societal expectations, the creation of the National Reference Centre for Animal Welfare (CNR BEA) in 2017 marked an important step towards improving the living, transport and slaughter conditions of animals under human responsibility in France (farm animals, pets, captive wildlife).

Expertise and dissemination missions

Provided for in the French Law on the Future of Agriculture (2016-2020) and created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the CNR BEA provides collective expertise and consolidated scientific and technical references to public authorities and economic and social players. It also assists them in implementing regulations to develop practices that take better account of animal welfare. Promoting and disseminating knowledge, best practices and innovations is another of CNR BEA’s key missions.

The CNR BEA brings together those involved in animal welfare research, development and training. It is managed by INRAE, and its steering committee also includes the Anses, the four agricultural technical institutes in the ACTA network and the four veterinary teaching establishments. Its activities are supported by an advisory committee made up of around forty stakeholders.

To this end, the CNR BEA:

• carries out expert assessments and leads a network of experts at national level,
• identifies weak signals through bibliographic monitoring and disseminates them to stakeholders,
• runs a scientific, technical, regulatory and educational resource and information centre.

These missions contribute to bringing French expertise to the European level, in particular through the European Union’s network of Reference Centres for animal welfare, with which CNR BEA works closely, as well as within a 2nd European network that CNR BEA leads, that of the other National Reference Centres or similar.

CNR BEA’s contribution to INRAE research

CNR BEA’s work of interest to INRAE includes carrying out scientific and technical appraisals, disseminating scientific, technical, regulatory and educational information derived from bibliographic monitoring work, identifying weak signals through bibliographic monitoring, participating in the network of structures in charge of animal welfare (SBEA) and CNR BEA’s involvement in events organised by INRAE.

Although supporting research is not one of its main missions, CNR BEA makes a number of contributions to steering research. Through scientific and technical monitoring and the recommendations of its expert reports, CNR BEA helps identify new research topics by identifying emerging subjects and gaps in knowledge that could feed into the Institute’s research strategy. The members of CNR BEA contribute their expertise to INRAE’s collective actions to ensure that animal welfare is better taken into account in research, in particular through the network of structures in charge of animal welfare (SBEA). They act as relays and contribute to the Institute’s influence at both national and European level by taking part in projects such as COST LIFT “Lifting Farm Animal Lives – laying the foundations for positive animal welfare” (CA 21124) and the European Union Partnership on Animal Health & Welfare (EUPAHW).