The European Commission, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the São Paulo State University (FCAV-UNESP) are organising two workshops with the aim to improve animal welfare in Latin America.

A workshop on 'Low-cost practices and tools to improve farm animal welfare' took place yesterday (31 May) in Jaboticabal, Brazil, and a second one on 'Educational strategies to promote animal welfare concepts and practices' will take place today and tomorrow (1 and 2 June) in the same city.

Their goal is to discuss the available and desirable low-cost practices and tools to improve the welfare of poultry, pigs, dairy and beef cattle as well as to present existing educational strategies to promote animal welfare concepts and practices in Latin America. The outcome will also provide elements of reflection for the upcoming International Conference on Animal Welfare Education co-organised by the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency of the EU on 1 and 2 October 2010.

The events will bring together scientists, competent authorities' representatives, non-governmental organisations, producers' representatives and professionals from the whole region.