Module 1

Animal welfare: Introduction

 This module will enable you to
• Distinguish between animal welfare science,
ethics and law
• Become familiar with the concept of animal
needs
• Understand
– the 3 different concepts (physical, mental and
natural) included in definitions of welfare
– the relationship between death and welfare
– the role of anthropomorphism
What is the welfare of two pet cats
with infected bite wounds?
 CAT 1
Owners noticed a
problem two weeks
ago but did not take
the
cat to the vet
 CAT 2
The cat was missing for 2 weeks. When the
cat returned, the owners took her to the vet
 Animal Welfare Science, Ethics
and Law
• Welfare science measures the effect on
animals of different situations and
environments, from the animal’s point of
view
• Welfare ethics concerns how humans
should treat animals
• Welfare law concerns how humans
must treat animals
 Animal Welfare Science, Ethics
and Law
• All three aspects are important for welfare
• Some presentations in this course focus on
one aspect e.g.:
 Science: physiological indicators
 Ethics: introduction to ethics
 Law : protection legislation
• Other presentations cover all three aspects
e.g.:
 Farm animal husbandry
 Scientific research: the basics
• Hypothesis
• Experiment / Observational study
• Control bias
– Sample size
– Control groups
– Randomisation
– Blinding
– Correct statistical method and
interpretation
 What is the welfare status of this dog?
• Oral tumour
 Has spread to local lymph nodes
• Current welfare
 Physical status: lesion present
 Mental status: fine
 Future welfare
 Physical status: metastasis; pain
 Mental status: pain; discomfort
 Two animal welfare concepts

Physical Mental

Early tumours Fear

Early infections Anxiety
Clinical disease
Injury
 Three animal welfare concepts

Physical Mental

Restrict natural Naturalness

behaviour

Diagram after Appleby, MC. In: Appleby, MC and Hughes, BO.

1997 Animal Welfare. CAB International
 Example: sows in stalls
• Naturalness
– Restricted oral and

social
behaviour
– Restricted movement
• Physical
– Mouth injuries from bar-
biting
• Mental
– Frustration?
– Pain from mouth injuries
 Three welfare definitions
• Physical status (fitness)
– Biological indicators including
reproduction and production
• Mental status (feelings)
– Positive and negative emotional
states
• “Naturalness” (telos)
 Definitions: Physical status

 “Welfare defines the state of an animal as

regards its attempts to cope with its
environment.” (Fraser & Broom, 1990)
 “I suggest that an animal is in a poor state of
welfare only when physiological systems are
disturbed to the point that survival or
reproduction are impaired.” (McGlone, 1993)
 Definitions: Mental status

 “...neither health nor lack of stress nor

fitness is necessary and/or sufficient to
conclude that an animal has good
welfare. Welfare is dependent upon
what animals feel.” (Duncan, 1993)
 Definitions: “Naturalness”

 “Not only will welfare mean control of

pain and suffering, it will also entail
nurturing and fulfilment of the animals’
nature, which I call telos.” (Rollin, 1993)
Relationship between the three
definitions
 Combined definition
• Some definitions combine two or three aspects e.g.
– "Welfare consists of the combined state of the animal's mind and
body, and the extent to which its nature is satisfied“
(Appleby/Duncan/Fraser?)
– “Fit and feeling good” (Webster 2005)

• The Five Freedoms (Farm Animal Welfare Council, 1992)

are often used as a framework to assess animal welfare
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom from pain, injury and disease
• Freedom to express normal behaviour
• Freedom from fear and distress
 The concept of needs
• Need: a requirement, fundamental in the
biology of the animal, to obtain a particular
resource or respond to a particular
environmental or bodily stimulus (Broom &
Johnson, 1993)
• If a need is not met, this will affect physiology
or behaviour. E.g.:
– If you can link a physiological sign to the
absence of a certain resource, the animal
lacks humane care in that area
 Hierarchy of needs
• Some needs may be more important than
others
• Provision of food and water is a fundamental
need
• Provision of a comfortable lying area may be
less fundamental
• Life-sustaining > Health-sustaining >
Comfort-sustaining (Hurnik & Lehman, 1985)
 Needs: e.g. legislation

• “The owner and keeper of the animals

shall have regard to … their
physiological and ethological
(behaviour) needs in accordance with
established experience and scientific
knowledge”
Council of Europe (1976)
 Welfare versus death
• Welfare concerns the quality of animal
life
• Death affects the quantity of animal life
• Quality and quantity of life may be
ethical concerns
 When is death relevant to welfare?

• The manner of death is relevant

– e.g. method of slaughter is important
• High death rates can indicate poor welfare
conditions
– Poor husbandry conditions can cause
disease and death
 Anthropomorphism:
Should we assign human attributes to
animals?
• Humans are animals with similar
biology
• However, each type of animal has
different behavioural needs
• Using a ‘human-based’ assessment
may be a useful first step
• This assessment must be qualified
with the individual animal’s needs
 Conclusions / Summary
• It is important to distinguish between the
various components of animal welfare:
– Science
– Ethics
– Legislation
• Animal welfare definitions are derived from
three basic concepts
– Physical
– Mental
– Natural
 Further reading
• Anon 1992. Farm Animal Welfare Council updates the Five
Freedoms. Vet Record 131: 357
• Bentham J. 1789. An Introduction to the Principle of Morals and
Legislation. Athlone Press, re-printed 1970.
• Broom DM, Johnson KG. 1993. Stress and Animal Welfare.
Chapman and Hall ISBN 0412395800
• Brambell Committee 1965. Report of the Technical Committee
to Enquire into the Welfare of Livestock kept under Intensive
Husbandry Systems. Command Report 2836. Her Majesty’s
Stationery Office, London
• Council of Europe 1976. European Convention for the
Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes
http://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/QueVoulezVous.asp?
NT=087&CM=1&DF=&CL=ENG CETS No.: 087
• Dawkins M. 1988 Behavioural deprivation: A central problem in
animal welfare. J Appl Anim Behav Sci 20: 209-225
 Further reading
• Duncan IJD 1993. Welfare is to do with what animals feel. J
Agric Environ Ethics (Special Suppl 2): 8-14
• Fraser, AF Broom DM. 1990. Farm Animal Behaviour and
Welfare, 3rd edition. Bailliere Tindall, London, England
• Hurnik JF, Lehmann H. 1985. The philosophy of animal welfare.
A contribution to the assessment of farm animal wellbeing. In:
Wegner RM (ed). Second European Symposium on Poultry
Welfare, Celle, Germany
• Kiley-Worthington M. 1989.Ecological, ethological and ethically
sound environments for animals. Towards symbiosis. J Agric
Ethics 2: 323-347.
• McGlone J 1993. What is animal welfare? J Agric Environ Ethics
(Special Suppl 2): 26
• Moberg GP 1985. Biological response to stress: key to
assessment of animal well-being? In Animal stress (Ed. Moberg,
G. P.) American Physiological Society, Bethesda, Maryland. 27-
49.
 Further reading
• Morton DB. 2000. A systematic approach for establishing
humane endpoints. Institute for Lab Animal Research Journal
41:80-86.
• Rollin B. Animal welfare, science and value. J Agric Environ
Ethics (Special Suppl 2): 8-14
• Seamer JH 1993. Farm animal welfare in Britain. SCAW
(Scientists for Animal Welfare) Newsletter 14(4): 13-14
• Webster J 2005. Animal Welfare. Limping towards Eden.
Blackwell, Oxford.
 Further reading
• APPLEBY, M.C. and HUGHES, B.O., 1997: Animal Welfare. CAB
International ISBN 0851991807
• BEAUCHAMP, T.L. and CHILDRESS, J.F., 1994: Principles of
Biomedical Ethics (4th Ed.) Oxford University Press ISBN 0195143329
• BROOM, D.M. and JOHNSON, K.G., 1993: Stress and Animal
Welfare. Chapman and Hall ISBN 0412395800
• DAWKINS, M.S., 1998: Through our eyes only? A Journey into Animal
Consciousness. Oxford University Press ISBN 0198503202
• NORMAN GR, STREINER DL. 2000 Biostatistics: the bare essentials.
2nd edition Mosby: St Louis. ISBN-10: 1550091239
• MARTIN P, BATESON P. 2007. Measuring Behaviour (3rd edition).
Cambridge University Press. ISBN-10: 0521535638
• MANNING, A.N. and DAWKINS, M.S., 1998: An Introduction into
Animal Behaviour (5th Ed.) Cambridge University Press ISBN
0521578914
 Further reading
• ROLLIN, B.E., 1999: An Introduction to Veterinary Ethics:
Theory and Cases. Iowa State University Press ISBN
0813816599
• WEBSTER, A.J.F., 1994: Animal Welfare: A cool eye towards
Eden. Blackwell ISBN 0632039280