Lesson 2 - Sentience/Animal Welfare Assessment Flashcards
Attributing human characteristics, traits, emotions, and intentions to non-humans
Anthropomorphism
Using human needs as a starting point for considering what animals may need in order to avoid suffering
Critical Anthropomorphism
The capacity to be affected positively or negatively and have experiences and feel, not just stimuli or reactions; implies a level of conscious awareness and consciousness of feelings
Sentience
Many animals can experience complex emotions such as grief, empathy, reciprocity, joy, despair, frustration, compassion. This includes…
Likely ALL vertebrates and some invertebrates (ongoing research)
True or False: Emotional capacity is unique to humans
False
Law that identified vertebrates, decapod crustaceans (lobsters, crabs, prawns) and cephalopods (octopuses and squids) as sentient creatures; created Animal Sentience Comittee
Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act (UK) (2022)
Idea of giving more attention or higher levels of consideration to species we are more familiar with, rather than based on any evidence of ability or capacity to feel positive/negative emotion
Speciesism
Risk management strategy that states that if there is a perceived risk to a practice, in the absence of scientific proof and consensus of the risks, err should be on the side of caution to safeguard an animal’s welfare in the given situation
Precautionary Principle
The first academic, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary scientific journal to focus on the capacity of nonhuman animals to experience feelings; publishes empirical findings and addresses their practical, methodological, legal, ethical, sociological, theological and philosophical implications
“Animal Sentience” Scientific Journal
Ethically speaking, why should we carry out welfare assessments?
Animals are sentient, and our goal is to ensure that they are not suffering, and they are functioning and feeling well (performing species-typical behaviors and preventing “bad” from becoming “normal”)
What are the scientific and industrial benefits of animal welfare assessments?
They are justifiable, methodical, structured, scientific and repeatable, and they ensure compliance to regulations. Additionally, they help teach farmers, consumers, and the general public to understand animal welfare in greater depth.
Researcher who explained that health and what animals want provide the definition of welfare against which others can be validated. They also tell us what research we have to do and how we can judge whether welfare of animals has been genuinely improved.
Marian Dawkins (2000s)
Info about environment, management, and animal risk factors can be described as…
Welfare inputs/resource-based measures
Info about disease, physiology, and behavior can be described as…
Welfare outputs/outcome-based measures
What are the 3 areas to consider when assessing animal welfare? (Remember the 3 circles)
- Is the animal functioning well?
- Is the animal feeling well?
- Is the animal able to perform natural/species-typical behaviors thought to be important to them?
Name the “needs” circle:
All of the physical factors that indicate health and physical fitness
Functioning/Physical Circle
Name the “needs” circle:
Absence of negative (avoid/escape harm) and presence of positive (promote long-term benefit)
Affective State/Mental Circle
Name the “needs” circle:
Ability to perform certain highly motivated innate behaviors typical of their species in an effective way
Natural Living Circle (Telos)
True or False: The Five Freedoms can be problematic due to the potential for conflicting ideals
True (i.e. “Freedom from diseases” may conflict with “Freedom from discomfort” if medical diagnosis and treatment cause stress/fear for the animal involved)
True or False: The Five Freedoms are never illogical
False; some circumstances that conflict with the Five Freedoms are natural and sometimes unavoidable (i.e. “Freedom from disease” is always challenged to some degree due to the constant natural presence of pathogens in the environment)
- Nutrition
- Environment
- Health
- Behavior
- Mental/Affective State (heavily emphasized)
Emphasizes that positive welfare = a life worth living (good welfare is more than just alleviation of negatives)
Five Welfare Domains
A method of maintaining a certain level of quality or preventing defects to provide accurate confidence that an entity will fulfill requirements for quality
Quality Assurance
The action or process of providing someone or something with an official document attesting to a status or level of achievement
Certification
Welfare assessment done by a person/group affiliated with a company that is affected by the outcomes of company actions
2nd party assessment/certification
Welfare assessment done by a person/group independent from the consumer-supplier relationship (no conflict of interest)
3rd party assessment/certification
A person or organization with an investment, interest, or concern in a business
Stakeholder
An audit conducted by employees of the company being audited
Internal audit
Official inspection of an animal production-related facility
Audit
An audit performed by second and third parties
External audit
The document of written standards that the inspector uses to perform an audit
Audit tool
Welfare outcome assessments that can be used in farm assurance schemes (applies to laying hens, dairy cows, pigs, broiler chickens, beef cattle, and sheep)
AssureWel (UK)
Largest initiative to use practical strategies to improve animal welfare by developing standardized methodology to assess animal welfare and translate assessments into easy understandable information
Philosophy: “Welfare is multidimensional and a characteristic of an individual animal”
Welfare Quality Project (EU)
modeled after the Five Domains
