In May 2021, the European Commission designated a third EU Reference Centre for animal welfare, focusing on the welfare of ruminants and equines (Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/755). The tasks of the third centre (EURCAW Ruminants & Equines) include supporting the European Commission and the Member States in the application of animal welfare requirements for ruminants and equines, carrying out scientific and technical studies, as well as conducting training courses and disseminating research findings and information on technical innovations. EURCAW Ruminants & Equines covers a range of farm animal species including those used for dairy production (cows, goats, sheep, buffaloes), the production of meat by cattle, sheep, goats, deer and horses, and ruminants and equines kept for other purposes.

EURCAW Ruminants & Equines is constituted of a consortium led by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the Swedish Centre for Animal Welfare (Sweden). The centre is also composed of the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (Austria), the Ellinikos Georgikos Organismos-Dimitra/Veterinary Research Institute (Greece), the National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (France), the University College Dublin (Ireland) and the Instituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise “G. Caporale” (Italy).

EURCAW-Pigs was the first reference centre, designated by the Commission in March 2018. This was followed by the nomination of EURCAW-Poultry-SFA in October 2019, devoted to the welfare of poultry and other small-farmed animals.