Document type: article published in Afis Science (French Association for Scientific Information)
Authors: Rachel Degrande, Juliette Cognié, Véronique Deiss, Angélique Favreau-Peigné, Valérie Fillon, Plotine Jardat, Christine Leterrier, Frédéric Lévy, Odile Petit, Freddie-Jeanne Richard
Preview: In everyday language, the term "farmed animals" refers to species raised for food production. In livestock farming, the living environment of these animals imposes what are sometimes severe constraints and restrictions in order to maximize production. These poor living conditions have long been criticized by voices in civil society. Changes in the answers given to surveys show that, in France, respondents are increasingly concerned by issues relating to animal living conditions in general, and farm animal welfare in particular. But what precisely is animal welfare? An in-depth definition that takes into account not only an animal's physical condition but also its feelings and state of mind, has recently been published by the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Workplace Safety (Anses). This article wil first give a brief history of the evolution of the concept of animal welfare to the present day, and will then give insights into the scientific basis for considering the feelings, and hence the welfare, of farm animals' feelings, by examining their cognitive and emotional capacities.
