The Welfare of Invertebrate Animals
This book is devoted to the welfare of invertebrates, which make up 99% of animal species on earth. Addressing animal welfare, we do not often think of invertebrates; in fact we seldom consider them to be deserving of welfare evaluation. And yet we should. Welfare is a broad concern for any animal that we house, […]
Animal pleasure and its moral significance
This paper presents arguments for, and evidence in support of, the important role of pleasure in animals’ lives, and outlines its considerable significance to humankind’s relationship to other animals. In the realms of animal sentience, almost all scholarly discussion revolves around its negative aspects: pain, stress, distress, and suffering. By contrast, the positive aspects of […]
Science-based assessment of animal welfare: farm animals
Animal welfare is to do with the feelings experienced by animals: the absence of strong negative feelings, usually called suffering, and (probably) the presence of positive feelings, usually called pleasure. In any assessment of welfare, it is these feelings that should be assessed. Because feelings are subjective, they cannot be investigated directly. However, there are […]
Animal welfare: Concepts and measurement
The term “welfare” refers to the state of an individual in relation to its environment, and this can be measured. Both failure to cope with the environment and difficulty in coping are indicators of poor welfare. Suffering and poor welfare often occur together, but welfare can be poor without suffering and welfare should not be […]
From an animal’s point of view: Motivation, fitness, and animal welfare
Using aversion learning techniques to assess the mental state, suffering, and welfare of farm animals
The extent that handling farm animals causes them to suffer is a central concern when assessing their welfare. “Suffering” is a mental state, resulting from different emotions, such as fear, pain, or boredom, which have different causes and effects on the animal’s behavior and physiology. What is common is that they are aversive; animals will […]
The assessment and implementation of animal welfare: theory into practice.
This paper reviews the procedures and protocols necessary for the development of a practical programme for the assessment and implementation of animal welfare on farms and in other commercial situations. An effective programme must incorporate measures of both husbandry and welfare. Most current systems are based almost entirely on measures of husbandry provision, e.g. resources […]
Behavioural deprivation: a central problem in animal welfare
A key issue in animal welfare is whether keeping animals in conditions where they cannot or do not perform behaviour typical of more naturally-kept members of their species causes them to suffer. Various measures have been used to resolve this issue. The cost an animal is prepared to pay for the opportunity to perform different […]
The implications of cognitive processes for animal welfare
In general, codes that have been designed to safeguard the welfare of animals emphasize the importance of providing an environment that will ensure good health and a normal physiological and physical state, that is, they emphasize the animals’ physical needs. If mental needs are mentioned, they are always relegated to secondary importance. The argument is […]