EU expertise in animal welfare is needed. SLU is participating in the Steering Committee of Erasmus+ Project “SuLAWE” in Slovenia

SLU, represented by the Department of Molecular Sciences, the Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare (SCAW), the Division of Educational Affairs and the Educational Development Unit (EPU) is an important partner since 2023 in an Erasmus+ capacity building project in higher education coordinated by Nürtingen-Geislingen University (HGU), Germany. The project's title is SuLAWe - Sustainable Livestock Production and Animal Welfare, and the project aims to support four Ukrainian agricultural universities in redesigning their animal science education.  The project addresses the demand of educating professionals in Animal Breeding and Livestock Production on high quality and international standards. This will lead to improved knowledge-based solutions for sustainable agriculture, improved animal welfare and climate change mitigations in the livestock sector to achieve climate neutrality in line with the European Green Deal 2050. Industrial partners from Ukraine are also involved in the project.

“Integration of practical elements via continuous exchange and cooperation with business partners and their involvement in the teaching process is an important part of education”, underlines the project coordinator, Prof. Dr. sc. agr. Heinrich Schuele from HGU, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management.

Internationalisation is a foundation for SLU’s ambition to be an organisation of the highest international standing that contributes to sustainable development. Strengthening the internationalisation of academic partners and increasing the capacity of professionals to deal with existing and future challenges in the areas prioritised by SLU is an essential part of our work. SLU’s mission is to develop expertise that contributes to quality of life and sustainable growth, based on a long-term utilisation of natural resources. In the SuLAWe project, SLU contributes with its experience in curriculum development, pedagogical training for staff, and the field of animal welfare.

Prof. Tetiana Ishchenko from the Scientific and Methodological Center for Higher and Pre-Higher Education in Ukraine underlines the importance of the project and says that collaboration with and support from EU partners has a special value for Ukraine. Iryna Nezamai, representative of the Ukrainian Corporation for the Production of Meat on an Industrial Basis "Tvarinprom", says that both farmers and consumers will benefit from improved welfare of livestock animals. “Animals that live under poor conditions become stressed and meat loses its quality”, explains Iryna.

During the 3rd steering group meeting, one of the main focuses was staff training, which SLU is responsible for. Elina briefly informed us about the Swedish and European approaches to ensure good animal welfare, its links to sustainability and the experiences from working with preventive measures to safeguard the health and welfare of the animals and to increase productivity. Galia presented the plan for the study visit of the partners from Ukraine to SLU, which will take place in March 2024. During the visit, 14 experts in animal sciences from Ukrainian organisations will visit SLU to learn from SLU’s experience in pedagogical methods and from Swedish practices in keeping livestock.

More information regarding the project along with contact details for the project members can be found here: https://sulawe.org.