AWC opinion on the welfare of cattle kept in different production systems

Document type : Report published by theAnimal Welfare Committee (UK)

4. Preview:

1. The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) traditionally provided detailed expert advice to Ministers in Defra and the Scottish and Welsh Governments on the welfare of farm animals on farm, at markets, during transport and at slaughter. On 1 October 2019, FAWC was renamed the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) and its remit was expanded to include companion animals and wild animals kept by people, as well as farm animals. This enables it to provide authoritative advice, based on scientific research and experience, on a wider range of animal welfare issues.
2. FAWC recently addressed beef production but has not considered dairy cattle welfare since 2009.2 The issues considered in this Opinion intersect with some addressed in these previous Opinions.
3. AWC gathered evidence for this Opinion through reviewing peer-reviewed and other research, consulting stakeholders, visit ing farms and informal interviews. Key sources are footnoted. These typically refer to legislation, other AWC publications or scientific papers that review or contribute to knowledge of the point in question, but do not represent the breadth of the evidence considered.

Scope

1. This Opinion considers the welfare of cattle across the dairy and beef industries in the UK, including beef animals that have been born into dairy systems, up to but not including slaughter.
2. The questions it addresses are: - Can continuously housed production systems meet the health, welfare and ethological needs of dairy and beef cattle? Can such systems be considered 'higher' welfare and under what circumstances?- Can pasture-fed production systems meet the health, welfare and ethological needs of dairy and beef cattle? Can such systems be considered 'higher' welfare and under what circumstances?
3. Conservation grazing and rewilding schemes use cattle for ecological management but may not prioritize agricultural production. Nevertheless, because the animals used are under human care and their meat and milk may be consumed by humans, they fall within AWC's remit and this Opinion therefore addresses relevant aspects of these schemes.