Guest post by Manuel Navarreta, ESG & Sustainability Specialist at Uyolo SRL
Introduction
In today’s landscape of Italian animal husbandry, animal welfare is taking on an increasingly central role—a true strategic parameter for companies in the sector. In this context, the National Animal Welfare Quality System (SQNBA), established in 2022, marks a significant turning point for Italian livestock farming.
To fully understand the importance of this system, we must take a step back in history. The concept of animal welfare has deep roots: as early as 1822, the British Parliament passed the Martin’s Act, the world’s first law prohibiting cruelty to farm animals. This was a historic moment, transforming a moral principle into concrete legal standards.
The real paradigm shift came after World War II, when the intensification of farming practices led to new problems. Ruth Harrison’s 1964 book, Animal Machines, exposed the harsh conditions of industrial livestock farming, prompting the British government to establish the Brambell Committee. In 1965, this committee introduced the famous Five Freedoms, which for the first time defined scientific and measurable criteria for assessing animal welfare.
These five fundamental freedoms are: freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from physical and thermal discomfort, freedom from pain, injury, and disease, freedom to express natural behaviors, and freedom from fear and distress. These principles have become the foundation of all modern animal welfare legislation.
The European Union has integrated these principles into its legal framework: Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union today recognizes animals as “sentient beings” and requires all industries involving them to respect their welfare needs.
The Sustainability Revolution: Today’s Regulatory Framework
Today, animal welfare is part of a much broader context of corporate sustainability. Companies in the agri-livestock sector face a growing set of regulatory requirements ranging from climate change and biodiversity protection to workers’ rights and transparent reporting.
The turning point is the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which, through the ESRS (European Sustainability Reporting Standards), requires companies to report all the impacts they cause or are affected by, relating to people and the planet. These are concrete parameters that must be monitored, controlled, and verified.
This shift represents a genuine cultural revolution for the sector: ethical values, once considered “intangible,” must now be translated into measurable and verifiable indicators. Companies that fail to adapt risk exclusion from the most advanced markets and responsible investments.
SQNBA: An Innovative System for Italian Livestock Farming
It is in this context that the National Animal Welfare Quality System (SQNBA) was created, developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Accredia. This voluntary scheme integrates the principles of the Five Freedoms with modern ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) governance requirements.
The SQNBA embraces a broader vision that includes biosecurity, prudent use of veterinary medicines, and environmental protection. This approach is a novelty both in Italy and internationally, offering companies a comprehensive tool to manage the sustainability of their operations.
The system is based on a “soft law” model that goes beyond minimum legal requirements, enabling companies to stand out in the market and prepare for future regulatory changes. Compliance is verified by accredited bodies, ensuring credibility and transparency.
The Five Guidelines: A Practical Tool for Farmers
The operational core of the SQNBA consists of five specific guidelines approved by the Technical Scientific Committee for Animal Welfare. Each guideline has been developed considering the specifics of different types of farming:
1. Outdoor Fattening Pigs
For pigs raised outdoors, the guideline focuses on freedom of movement, requiring a minimum of 250 square meters per animal. This generous space allows pigs to express natural behaviors such as rooting and exploring.
The guideline mandates a dedicated infirmary area for animals needing special care and requires regular body condition checks using the Body Condition Score (BCS). For biosecurity, it adopts the “Danish border” system, which involves a strict separation between “clean” and “dirty” areas to minimize contamination risks.
2. Dairy Cattle in Barns
This guideline applies to farms with more than 50 free-stall cows. Emphasis is placed on milk quality and cow welfare. Animals must have adequate space, fractional feeding, and daily health checks. Special focus is given to monitoring somatic cell counts in milk to prevent mastitis, a major health issue in dairy herds.
3. Beef Cattle in Barns
For beef cattle, the guideline sets minimum space requirements based on animal weight and calls for rigorous daily inspections. Flooring must be designed to prevent injuries and falls, and a clearly marked infirmary area is mandatory. The use of veterinary medicines is strictly regulated to combat antibiotic resistance.
4. Grazing Cattle
This guideline requires that at least 30% of the herd has access to pasture for a minimum of 60 days per year. Welfare is monitored through regular body condition checks, while strict Danish-style biosecurity measures are enforced.
5. Small Cattle Farms
For farms with fewer than 50 animals, the guideline is more flexible, allowing both free-stall and tie-stall systems, but still requires at least 60 days of outdoor access per year for every animal.
The Four Pillars of the System
Each guideline is structured around four key areas:
Animal Welfare (BA): Includes both “resource-based” indicators (environment size, equipment, microclimate) and “animal-based” indicators (injury assessment, mortality, body condition).
Biosecurity (BS): Involves measures to prevent the introduction of pathogens into farms, protecting both animals and workers.
Prudent Use of Veterinary Medicines (MV): Promotes responsible antibiotic use, limiting it to cases where it’s strictly necessary, to fight antibiotic resistance.
Environmental Protection (AM): Includes measures to reduce the environmental impact of farming, from waste management to emissions control.
Concrete Benefits
Pilot projects have already shown that adopting SQNBA brings tangible and immediate benefits. There’s a significant reduction in neonatal mortality, decreased antibiotic use, and optimized production performance. These improvements lead to greater profitability for farmers, proving that sustainability and profit can go hand in hand.
From a strategic point of view, adopting SQNBA offers several competitive advantages. Certified companies are more attractive to ESG-conscious investors, gain access to more profitable markets, and reduce the risk of greenwashing accusations. Moreover, they can position themselves as sustainability pioneers, staying ahead of future regulations.
Future Perspectives
The SQNBA system is set to evolve and expand. Three development areas are particularly strategic:
- Digitalization of controls through IoT sensors and machine learning algorithms will enable continuous data flows (temperature, humidity, vocalizations), providing real-time corrective feedback.
- Expansion to new species is already planned: starting in 2026, guidelines for sheep and goats will be introduced, while research is ongoing into neuro-endocrine biomarkers to objectively assess behavioral scores.
- Synergy with climate targets presents an especially promising opportunity: welfare measures such as lower stocking densities and pasture access can help reduce methane emissions and fuel the livestock carbon credit market.
Conclusion
The evolution from the Martin’s Act of 1822 to the SQNBA of 2022 demonstrates how animal welfare has transitioned from a marginal concern to a structural component of modern sustainability policies. The Italian system is an innovative model that combines scientific rigor, legal legitimacy, and competitive advantage.
For companies in the sector, adopting SQNBA is not just a compliance cost, but a strategic investment with measurable returns. Those who proactively adopt SQNBA metrics into their management systems will position themselves as leaders not only in the domestic market but also in high-value export channels.
The future of Italian livestock farming necessarily involves sustainability. SQNBA provides the tools to face this challenge, transforming a regulatory obligation into a growth and differentiation opportunity. Companies that seize this opportunity will be the ones defining the future of the sector in the years to come.
Take the first step toward a better future, click below for a demo:
