Welfare Monitoring Schemes: Using Research to Safeguard Welfare of Animals on the Farm

Abstract

There are a number of nonhuman animal welfare monitoring schemes for animals on the farm in Australia and in other countries. Although the majority of such schemes are voluntary rather than legislated, some are nevertheless enforced through a number of customer requirements that industries must meet to gain access to markets. Animal welfare monitoring schemes rely on a number of measures, but the majority are based on simple measures of resource or management inputs with fewer animal-based measures; few are specific to animal welfare outcomes. Furthermore, most measures are used retrospectively, particularly where there has been a problem, to improve welfare for the next “batch” of animals and thus few measures can be used to predict animal welfare outcomes with these schemes. There is considerable uncertainty about the concept and consequently the measurement of animal welfare. Science has a clear contribution to make in forging better agreement on animal welfare assessment and also has important roles in both developing practical animal-based measures of animal welfare and validating that animal welfare monitoring schemes are worthwhile in improving at least some aspects of animal welfare.

Notes

It is with deep regret that we advise of the tragic loss of Associate Professor John Barnett and his wife, Jenny, in bush fires that devastated large areas of Victoria, Australia on the 7th and 8th of February 2009. John will be particularly remembered for his research on pigs and poultry and the impacts of confinement housing on animal welfare. John was also a major contributor to the Animal Welfare Science Centre's research and teaching programs at the University of Melbourne, Monash University and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries. Both John and Jenny worked tirelessly to protect the Australian environment and wildlife, and their weekend retreat, where they lost their lives, was where they recharged their batteries to enable them to continue to make their substantial contributions to animal protection. John's thoughtful and reasoned discourse and his gentle humor will be sadly missed by his colleagues in the animal welfare research community.