Animal Welfare and health

• Welfare:

  • wellbeing, happiness, prosperity, health
  • links with moral, cultural, and religious values
• welfare = 5 freedoms:

  • hunger + thirst
  • discomfort
  • disease + fear
  • restrictions
  • pain, injury + disease
• RSPCA:

  • founded in London - 1824
  • focussed on bad treatment of horses
• Mixed agricultural act (1968)

  • offense to cause unnecessary discomfort to any livestock on agricultural land
  • ministers authorised to:
  • make mandatory regulations on welfare matters
  • issue codes of recommendations
  • prohibit certain operations on animals
• Welfare of animals Regulations 2000:

  10 welfare codes, employers responsibility that stockperson:

  • knows provision of codes
  • receives instruction & guidance on these codes
  • accesses codes while attending animals
• Welfare of animals: Schedule 1:

  inspection:

  • animals must be inspected daily
  • sick or injured animals isolated in suitable accommodation with comfortable bedding / housing
• welfare of animals: schedule 1:

  record keeping:

  • any veterinary treatment for 3 years
• welfare of animals: schedule 1:

  Automatic equipment:

  • health dependent checked once daily
• importance of animal welfare:

  • performance + marketing - labelling schemes
  • farm assurance = several schemes
  • welfare focussed = RSPCA assured
  • on-farm diversification
• Current UK position = welfare is essential:

  • political = ban on fox hunting & sow stalls
  • marketing = farm assured & organic produce
  • financial = expenditure & concern for pets
  • voluntary = cage free eggs by 2025
• Stress:

  stress = any deviation from normal

  • physical
  • physiological functions
  • biological functions
• impacts of stress:

  • wellbeing
  • nutrition & production
  • life style & vitality
  • breeding & reproduction
• assessing stress and welfare: direct observations:

  direct observations:

  • behaviour
  • production
  • health = morbidity, mortality
• assessing stress and welfare: Physiological / biological

  Physiological / biological:

  • activity
  • feed efficiency
  • growth + development
  • production
  • early diagnosis
• safeguard animal welfare:

  monitor animal diseases:

  • diagnose early and treat illness
  • visual or electronic
• safeguard animal welfare:

  protect animal health:

  • prevent stress / illness
  • proactive health & welfare management