ANTONI DALMAU ^* Lorena Padilla Aranzazu Varvaró-Porter Aida Xercavins Antonio Velarde Alexandra Contreras-Jodar

• Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Barcelona, Spain

An estimated 1.4 billion quails are reared each year for their eggs and meat, but animal welfare assessment protocols for this species have yet to be established. The aim of the present study wasis to implement an animal welfare-assessment protocol developed through a multidimensional approach and containing a number of animal-based indicators (ABIs) for quails (Coturnix japonica) reared for meat production. Fourteen Spanish farms in the first year of integration in an animal welfare certification scheme were visited during 2021 and 2022 and audited by the same auditor. The protocol is divided into four principles and 12 criteria. The Good feeding principle includes six indicators (one ABI), Good housing includes 10 indicators (five ABIs), Good health includes 12 indicators (nine ABIs), and Appropriate behaviour contains eight indicators (five ABIs). The final welfare assessment at farmlevel is based on the calculation of scores from the on-farm recordings. The assessment is a step-wise weighted sum of scores between the different indicators and the final score ranges from 0 to 100. The main welfare problems detected in all farms were the lack of temperature and humidity records, the lighting pattern as well as the absence of outdoor range or the provision of outdoor access. To a lesser degree, but also found in some on a significant number of farms, were excessive numbers of birds per feeder, presence of improperly functioning drinkers (i.e. not working, inadequate water flow or dripping water), poor litter quality and high prevalence of birds with dirty plumage and lameness.Despite of this, the farms obtained a good overall score being rated as 'enhanced' (n = 11) and 'acceptable' (n = 3). The tool proved useful for identifying specific welfare issues at farm level and conducting benchmarking.