What do veterinarians mean by animal welfare? Evidence of an empirical study
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2015 |
Authors: |
H. Heise, N. Kemper, L. Theuvsen |
Publication/Journal: |
Tieraerztliche Umschau |
Keywords: |
animal welfare, animal welfare understanding, livestock production, veterinarians, veterinary sciences |
ISBN: |
0049-3864 |
Abstract:
The issue of animal welfare in intensive livestock production systems has been subjected to increasing attention from the wider public. Representatives from politics, media and the public discuss about the improvement of animal welfare standards. The opinion of veterinarians is perceived with little attention. As a result, there is little information about veterinarians’ attitudes towards and understanding of animal welfare. So far, there are no scientific studies on this issue. Therefore, this study analyzes the veterinarians’ understanding of animal welfare using a quantitative survey. The results show that veterinarians have a sophisticated understanding of animal welfare representing the current state of research.