A “Good Life” for farmed animals Challenge

Overview

Welsh Government’s Animal Health and Welfare Framework sets out the ambition for all animals in Wales to have a good quality life and for consumers to have confidence in the way food is produced.

Currently, most assessment of animal welfare is typically still through measurement of ‘biological function’: if an animal is ‘producing well’ then the animal must “be well”, therefore providing little distinction between production and quality of life.

Developments in understanding of an animal’s mental state, changing societal demands and the positive impact of high animal welfare standards on human wellbeing have driven new approaches to defining animal welfare. In 2009, the then Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC, now the Animal Welfare Committee, AWC) introduced a framework classifying welfare states of farm animals based on opportunities to promote positive welfare giving a quality of life above the regulatory baseline- ‘a good life’.

Farm_Animal_Welfare_in_Great_Britain_PastPresentand_Future.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk )

Innovation is required to both develop solutions that can support a “good life” for animals in Wales, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of those solutions, effectively measuring the impact on an animal’s wellbeing.

The Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) gives Welsh Government the opportunity to incentivise practical measures related to animal management, housing and procedures that farmers can implement to improve quality of life for farmed animals in Wales.

This challenge seeks to identify the most impactful and achievable measures on a range of farm types, sizes and in differing geographical locations within Wales to measurably improve the quality of life on livestock farms. Also to address the growing, consumer and supply chain led, demand for high welfare standards on farms-above the standards in the relevant legislation.

Improved positive welfare opportunities on farms is an ethical imperative and will provide a competitive point of difference for Welsh livestock products and help meet the increasing welfare standards being requested by the supply chain and therefore support rural farming businesses and resilience.

The systematic evaluation of systems, resources and procedures on livestock farms will support a refocusing of emphasis towards promotion of animal welfare through targeted provision of specific resources and a re-evaluation of the previous standardised management practices.

Challenge Theme

The challenge fund of £250,000 looks to support feasibility projects that can begin to address the stated aims of the challenge:

Phase 1: Feasibility – We are looking to fund up to 5 projects up to a value of up to £50,000 each (inclusive of VAT).

Note: Projects successful at Phase 1 will be eligible to apply to subsequent phases. Additional phases will be dependent upon the outcomes of Phase 1 and future funding allocation.

The key focus will be on demonstrating the potential affordability and scalability of solutions that can be delivered at pace.

If project applications are seeking to build upon previous trials/small-scale testing, applications must clearly articulate how this funding will help accelerate more wide-spread development, outlining any previous adoption barriers and demonstrating how these will be addressed.

All projects must demonstrate targeted engagement with the Welsh farming sector, ideally a named farm.
Any costs relating to this named farm(s) should be included as a subcontractor cost in the project applications.
Projects can include more than one subcontractor. However, the involvement and role of each organisation should be clearly specified and the commitment evidenced, ideally with named individuals stated in the application.
Academic partners are also welcomed, particularly if in relation to independent evaluation and meeting any required technical and/or scientific testing.

How can solutions address the challenges?

Innovative solutions could:

Establish the characteristics, unique features and welfare challenges of Sheep and Beef farms in a range of geographical locations in Wales.
Using the ‘Good Life Framework’ model, establish impactful, practical, evidence based, achievable and measurable methods of improving quality of life. Include implementation and design specifications of a suite of positive animal welfare opportunities above those specified in regulations. Relate suggestions particularly to housing, shelter procedures and keeper knowledge and skills.

Define and quantify the effect, over the regulatory baseline, that appropriate positive welfare solutions provide for stock classes on sheep upland, sheep hill, sheep lowland, beef suckler and beef fattening operations.
Define strategies for implementation of the options potentially including training resources, localised clusters and hubs of early adopters sharing ideas, methods of disseminating advice to relevant industry personnel including veterinarians.
Use technology to establish an interactive platform interface for recording, measuring and sharing welfare solutions and signposting to necessary farmer support.

Exclusions

Do not clearly demonstrate engagement with the Welsh farming sector.
Cannot evidence engagement with potential future customers to understand needs.
Cannot evidence how a proposal will generate a positive impact on wellbeing.
Fails to consider affordability and practicality of widespread implementation.
Fails to consider potential side effects and their mitigations – for example, environmental impacts.

Funding Costs & Project Details

Current funding of £250,000 is available to a portfolio of projects – which may be subject to change, dependent upon the number/quality of submissions received.

Project costs must be clearly substantiated and value for money demonstrated. We reserve the right to consider an increased budget for exceptional applications if the scale of the delivery across Wales warrants.

Projects will be selected on a portfolio approach to ensure activity and evidence is gathered on a broad demographic basis across Wales.

Project costs can be claimed for the innovation solution provider and for additional collaborators/subcontractors. However, this should be specified within the challenge application with clear roles stated (ideally with named individuals for each role).

Timescales may be subject to change, but this will be considered on a project basis, and funding allocation will remain the same – for example, if four-season data is required in support of your solution, please highlight this in the application for consideration.

Your application should:

Involve at least one Welsh livestock farm;
Demonstrate a clear plan for integration into SFS and a route to market for affordable, developed solutions;
Explain the potential positive contribution to the goals of the Animal Health and Welfare Framework, Wales Innovates: creating a stronger, fairer, greener Wales, and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act;
Consider, and address where necessary, equality, diversity and inclusion aspects across your project, your sector(s) and society;
Ensure personal safety is paramount and any risks clearly articulated with robust mitigation in place; and
Include a full evaluation following project completion – this should include a benefits analysis and an economic analysis.

Please note any adoption and implementation of a solution from this competition would be subject of a separate, possible competitive, procurement exercise.

This competition does not cover the purchase of any solution although we may choose to investigate and explore innovative procurement routes as part of this challenge.

The total funding available for the competition can change and the funders reserve the right to adjust the provisional funding allocations, I.e., should additional funding become available.

The funder also reserves the right to apply a ‘portfolio’ approach to ensure funds are allocated across a broad range of strategic and geographic areas. This may mean that a proposal that scores less than yours may be successful. The portfolio can be spread across a range of:

Scope areas;
Project durations; and
Project costs, including demonstrating value for money.

For further information on this challenge see guidance notes here.

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