Abstract

Four possible answers to the question of why there has not been more progress in animal welfare research are discussed: (1) that the subject matter might be beyond the scope of scientific enquiry; (2) that the commonly employed approaches and methodologies might be faulty; (3) that the approaches are sound but that more time is needed to obtain valid results; (4) that valid results have been obtained but not disseminated to the public or politicians. Of these, (3) has the most credibility. Applied ethologists should not be [`]bullied’ into giving oversimplified answers to difficult questions. Some recent studies on social recognition in hens are described to illustrate the importance of a broad-based ethological approach.