Welfare Flashcards
What is Welfare?
The 5 Freedoms (FAWC) or the 5 needs (RSPCA)
What are the 5 Freedoms?
Freedom from hunger and thirst
* Freedom from discomfort
* Freedom from pain, injury and disease
* Freedom to express normal behaviour
* Freedom from fear and distress
What are the 5 Needs?
Animals need access to fresh water and a suitable diet that will keep
them healthy.
* Animals need adequate shelter and somewhere comfortable to rest.
* Animals need access to veterinary treatment but also steps should
be taken to prevent pain, injury or disease.
* Animals need company of other animals of their own kind, enough
space and proper facilities so they can behave in a natural way.
* Animals need to be kept in conditions that mean they will not suffer
and need to be treated in a way that does not frighten them or
distress them.
What are the 5 domains?
Nutrition
* Environment
* Health
* Behaviour
* Mental state
Sentience
An animals capacity to experience suffering and pleasure
What does animal sentience mean?
animals can feel pain and suffer and
experience positive emotions
What animals are considered sentient?
Probably all vertebrates, some invertebrates,
including e.g. squid, octopus and possibly some crustaceans
How should we consider animal welfare?
The positives, what does an animal like/want?
UK FAWC 2009:
An adequate life
* A life worth living
* A good life
(overall quality of life)
What does welfare consider?
The quality of life not the length, so when an animal is dead welfare is no longer a concern, just how
What is the value of an animals life?
economic, cultural, political,
emotional, religious
What are the ethical and welfare implications?
Moral obligation to animals as sentient
beings, Reflected in legislation and codes of
practice and EU Directives
* Reflects society’s wishes, for the overall
good
Section 4 of animal welfare act,
Criminal offence for person to cause
unnecessary suffering to a protected animal
– Commonly domesticated (vertebrate) species
under control of man (not embryos)
Section 9 of animal welfare act,
Duty of care for responsible person to
provide adequately for animal welfare
* Includes by omission
How do you determine the scope of legislation to use?
first determine to which set of
animals it applies
– Animals specifically listed?
– Domestic, wild or captive animals?
– Vertebrate and invertebrate animals?
– All sentient animals?
Why might legislation not be effective?
Legal status of animals as property
– Sentience may not recognised
* Strict liability offence or intent needed
* Exemptions: religion and culture
* Accepted practice
Domestic legislation
Inspection of an animal when there is
suspected cruelty or lack of welfare provision
* Access to premises for inspection vs. privacy
* Common farming practices
* Food hygiene vs. fasting stock prior to transport
to slaughter plant
* Animal experimentation requirements
* Requirement to test products on animals vs.
welfare of animals
What is the ideal welfare law?
Applies to all sentient animals
* Clearly written
* Offences include failing to meet an animal’s needs
* Easy to amend in line with new scientific knowledge,
ethics, etc.
* High legal status, allowing for prosecutions
* Enforcement responsibility is clear
* Enforcement body has sufficient power and funds
* Includes education of public and industry
Role of the vet in
animal welfare
Diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease
* Assessing welfare in abattoirs and farms, and advising
owners and officials
* Identifying deliberate animal cruelty
* Implementing humane endpoints in lab animal research
* Pain management
* Ethical decision-making
* Communicating with owners, officials, etc.
* Veterinary professional bodies
What do you assess when assessing an animals welfare?
Measures of the environment and
resources − ‘welfare inputs’
* Measures of the animal’s responses −
‘welfare outputs
What do you estimate in the ‘outputs’ ?
percentage of animals affected
* how badly they are affected
* how long the problem has been going on for
What is a ‘normal’ animal (behaviour wise)
Is alert and curious about its external
environment
– Shows a range of activities, e.g. exploration
– Interacts with other members of the herd/flock
– Interacts with humans
– Avoids humans – flight distance
– Plays
What effects an animals normal behaviour in a group?
May be affected by;
* Species
* Breed
* Age and size range
* Group size
* Dominance hierarchy (maternal rank)
What are some behavioural indicators of poor welfare?
Limited range of activity,
e.g. no play, no response
to external stimuli
– Sickness behaviours
– Pain behaviours
– Depressive behaviours
* Abnormal fear or
aggression towards
humans
* Fighting
* Stereotypies
* Other behaviours
