Sustainability and animal welfare.

Head of the Unibo research unit: Prof. Francesca Rescigno

The project aims to conduct a scientific evaluation of the approach to animal welfare from the perspective of sustainability. First, EU legislation on sustainability and taxonomy will be analyzed from a multidisciplinary perspective. Next, the concept of animal welfare based on both veterinary science and behavioral science and ethology perspectives will be considered with respect to three main sectors: the food system and food production, tourism, and fashion and textile production.

The Project Team, composed of two Units (University of Milano Bicocca and University of Bologna), brings together members from different disciplines: this will allow the research to be conducted, on the one hand, with the methodology of legal analysis in the areas of public law, civil law, and comparative law, to identify the existing legal framework at the national and EU level, and, on the other hand, qualitative investigations will be carried out to advance the current understanding of animal welfare and human-animal interaction in the medical-veterinary sector, also exploring the psychosocial dimensions that influence this relationship.

In addition, the team will do research to propose legislative innovations to promote sustainability and development while respecting the interests of animals. This is essential, especially with regard to the proper assessment of animal welfare, which is seen as a key issue for programs involving animals, as people's attitudes and behaviors toward animals underlie major national and international issues.

A further achievement, in the context of the institutional goals of university culture, is intended to be the implementation of innovative teaching models, for example through the enhancement of international legal clinic projects for the in-depth study of animal welfare issues, thanks to a confrontation between faculty, students and external professionals, following a national model already successfully tested at the University of Milan Bicocca. An experience that could bring enormous benefits through funding for future activities.

The project also aims to combine scientific and theoretical research-which remains the main perspective of academic studies-with a significant role in the dissemination of results, first and foremost, and in the creation of concrete tools (i.e., guidelines and a digital and innovative platform) that can serve as useful support to guide future solutions, including through discussions with legislators and professionals. Indeed, the guidelines can be followed by practitioners even at the association level, and the implementation of a digital platform could be a hub for projects related to legal clinics, allowing university students and researchers to work with the local area and stakeholders, and where professionals can also turn to report specific issues, considering that it could be linked to interest groups.

Website: Osservatorio su Diritto e Benessere degli Animali

Other members

Conferences, lectures and talks

Conference, “The Role of Animal Law in Contemporary Constitutionalism. Advancing Animal Welfare through the Use of Law,” Department of Political and Social Sciences, Poets' Hall, University of Bologna, November 7th 2024