My research focus on welfare in mink and how to assess and improve animal welfare in mink farms.
Therefore my research investigates the effects of housing systems (e.g. sheds, pens, nest boxes, watering system) and management (e.g. monitoring, feeding, handling) on health, welfare and production in mink (Mustela Vison). Management tools are developed in order to support the management of the mink farmer. Planning and control of the mink farm, is supported by aggregation of scientific evidence and practical experience, into mink farm management systems aimed at heard health, welfare and production. At the tactical level, the use of on-farm experiments and of aggregated farm production data is investigated, in order to develop farm specific information on the need for adjustments in management. Methods for assessment of the impact of production factors, on the health and welfare status of mink, is developed, tested and applied in management procedures on private farms. The results are made available to the mink farmers, the extension service, veterinarians and others as concepts and tools for welfare assessment, health- and production management in specific production periods or the entire annual production cycle.
I have been the project leader for the development of the WelFur-Mink protocol, which is a system for assessing the welfare of mink in practice. The protocol has been developed according to the Welfare Quality (R) principles but with three-season visits to assess welfare in the significant parts of the annual procurement cycle. WelFur is under implementation at approx. 3000 mink farms in Europe from 2017 to 2019. The welfare assessment is carried out by independent auditors from a private, independent certification company, trained by WelFur researchers from the AU.
