Document type : dossier produced by the French Chambers of Agriculture
Author: Chambres d'Agriculture France
Preview: Deciphering animal-welfare issues
Animal welfare is a live social issue. It is a social issue because it is a subject that calls all areas of society into question, from individuals wondering about their personal relationships with animals to consumers whose purchasing decisions can influence on-farm practices. Animal welfare extends well beyond the farming world. It is a live issue because it leads to what can be heated debates, with conflicting viewpoints and stakeholders who are entrenched in their convictions, refusing to take other opinions into account.
Understanding how those involved see themselves or define animal welfare is the first step in deciphering the issues surrounding animal welfare. While some agree on a scientific and rational definition of animal welfare, others take into account a qualitative dimension based on their own experience or relationship with animals. Within the world of livestock farming, there are many different relationships with animals, with some farmers considering the link with their animals to be the main reason for following their profession, while other farmers have a more distant relationship with their animals.
Controversy, those involved, ideas and visions of animal welfare Video : 9 min 45
What is the definition of animal welfare?
The historical definition of animal welfare is based on the five freedoms (1), a practical definition that makes it possible to implement welfare on farms and to use evaluation tools. Then, in 2018 the Anses (2) defined animal welfare as a "positive mental and physical state related to the satisfaction of an animal's physiological needs and behaviors, as well as its expectations. This state varies according to the animal's perception of the situation". This definition emphasizes that welfare is primarily a mental and emotional state that cannot be reduced to the satisfaction of physiological needs. This approach is more complicated to implement on farms. Could the solution to improve animal welfare lie in the One Welfare concept? This concept emphasizes the interdependence of animal welfare and the welfare of the people who care for animals on the farm.
Definition of animal welfare, 5 freedoms, Anses definition, One Welfare Video : 5 min 44
Behavioral needs of animals, their emotions, the human-animal relationship
Animals have behavioral needs and express emotions. The pig that roots around in its bedding, the hen that scratches the ground, or cows that form a group, all express behavioral tendencies linked to their genetic heritage. These behaviors express an animal's essential behavioral needs that affect its welfare. In farm animals, negative emotions, such as fear or pain, are generally easier to observe than positive emotions such as play. Taking behavioral needs and positive emotions into account is now considered to be a goal for animal welfare in scientific terms. Farmers, through their relationships with animals, also influence their animals' behavior and their own working conditions and welfare.
Animal behavior: how to get inside an animal's head: 19 min video
How to assess animal welfare
Livestock farming regulations in France impose numerous standards on animal housing and management and, more recently, on the training of farmers, with a set of regulations that differs greatly between sectors. Non-government specifications and measures adopted by the industry also contribute standards to animal welfare. Some of these standards aim to improve animal welfare, but they are also intended to reassure consumers and individuals over farming methods. Other private initiatives are intended to carve out a niche in the market by offering animal products from farms with specified animal welfare practices.
How to carry out an animal welfare assessment?: video, 3 min 40
Animal welfare regulations and business issues
Animal welfare: what are the regulations, standards and business issues? video (13 min 40)
Relationship with animals in French society
The relationship that currently exists between French society and animals is the result of a long history of changes in thought. Animals that were, in other places and times, seen as a source of revenue, objects of production for the benefit of humans, are now viewed as sentient beings able to feel emotions and to whom certain rights could be granted. This change in our views on animals began with Rousseau's sentient animal in the 18th century, and was strengthened in the 20th and 21st centuries by new discoveries on the cognitive capacities ofanimals and by the reduced importance of society's relationship with livestock animals.
Social changes in relationships with animals and views of livestock farming
Le bien-être animal, un changement profond qui vient de loin Video (10 min)
