QUALITALY 141

August /September 2024 VI MAGAZINE (arborio, roma, carnaroli, vialone nano, ed ), we are now seeing a demand for new varieties: venere rice, red rice, basmati rice. As an active and leading company in the retail world, we monitor what is happening in the large-scale retail trade and the Italian consumer trends, in order to be quick in proposing the new trends that we intercept in the shops to our eating-out customers. If a product is used at home, the consumer is usually inclined to look for it also when eating out. This is why I am convinced that it is necessary to work by carefully observing both channels, and not treating them separately, in order to respond to the real needs of consumers’. A STEAMY FUTURE The marketing manager of Riso Scotti’s rice division is also convinced of the importance of enhancing the quality of Italian rice, starting with its unique and typical varieties. In fact, Riso Scotti produces arborio rice, carnaroli rice and vialone nano rice for the Qualitaly brand in 1 kg packs and ribe parboiled in both 1 kg and 5 kg packs. ‘The collaboration with CIC is a long-standing one, which has allowed us to develop not only a business relationship, but a real partnership. We are the exclusive rice suppliers for CIC, we participate in events and organise training sessions together to create a positive synergy,’ says Rovati. At the same time, Rovati believes it is necessary to look to the future, not only in terms of new varieties that can offer unprecedented taste experiences, but also in terms of new service possibilities. ‘I am referring to ready-made preparations, such as steamed pre-cooked rices that guarantee the same result in the finished dish. It is an innovative idea that we are working on in order to offer restaurant operators further support, always in the name of quality. __________________________________ AT PAGE 20 DID YOU KNOW? A question of animal welfare THE CONDITIONS OF ANIMALS ON FARMS AND THE PARAMETERS FOR ASSESSING THEIR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE. WITH THE NATIONAL CLASSYFARM SYSTEM, IT IS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE QUALITY STANDARDS AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE BY IMPROVING FARMING PRACTICES by Erminio Trevisi and Gianluca Donadini Well-being. Those who belong to the Baby Boomer generation, and their parents, associate it with the post-war economic miracle, when scooters, cars, electrical appliances, telephones and television sets invaded Italy and meat arrived more plentifully on the table. Much more prosaically, the World Health Organisation defines well-being as the emotional, mental, physical, social and spiritual state that enables people to reach and maintain their personal potential in society. A multidisciplinary concept that is influenced by physical health, psychological state, the quality of relationships and the environmental conditions in which we live. Whether well-being coincides with pleasure and happiness or is expressed in the realisation of one’s own character is left to the personal sensitivity of each of us. But when we talk about animals, and specifically the welfare of animals reared for the production of meat, milk and eggs for our consumption, what exactly do we mean? We ask Erminio Trevisi , Head of the Department of Animal Sciences Food and Nutrition (DIANA), Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Piacenza, Italy) PROFESSOR, CAN WE EXPLAIN TO OUR READERS WHAT IS MEANT BY ANIMAL WELFARE? The concept of animal welfare is very complex and various definitions have been proposed over time. It is a condition that involves three dimensions of life: physiological function, mental state and interaction with the natural environment. An animal that is well-adapted to its environment is in good physical and mental health. The best-known definition is the so-called 5 freedoms: from hunger/ thirst, from unease/discomfort, from disease/pain, from fear/distress and to express the natural behavioural repertoire. BUT LIFE IS NOT FREEDOM. IT IS A CONTINUOUS STRUGGLE TO ACHIEVE IT. THIS HAPPENS BOTH IN NATURE AND IN CAPTIVITY. People often idealise natural conditions, which in fact are quite ruthless and there is a continuous conflict that leads to a balance between each species and the environment. It is true that man altered this balance thousands of years ago by starting to breed animals, but he did so by building a symbiosis in which humans and animals have mutual advantages. TODAY, MANY PEOPLE THINK THAT BREEDING IS ‘UNNATURAL’. I agree and note that all activities created and developed by man are also unnatural: cities, cars, mobile phones. This means that even definitions of animal welfare have to come to terms with the changed interactions between man and animal. Domestication, with the selection of more tame species adapted to human contact, has changed this balance. This applies to all domestic animals, from the hen to the cat. ARE THERE ANY BREEDING GUIDELINES THAT CAN GUARANTEE OR IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFARE? Assessing animal welfare is complex because it depends on a myriad of factors: buildings, environment (from climate to diet), equipment, interactions between animals in the population and with humans. Thus, various parameters can be used which we can distinguish into direct (animal based) and indirect (animal criteria). CAN YOU GIVE US SOME EXAMPLES? Animal-based parameters are parameters that can be measured directly from the animal’s response and include many physiological data. Examples are in milk somatic cells, glycaemia levels in blood, urea levels in urine, pH of faeces, weight changes. Among the ‘animal criteria’ we have parameters related to the environment where the animals live: the surface area available per animal, the type of bedding, stabling systems, cooling systems. WHICH OF THESE ARE MOST USEFUL?