Animal Health & Welfare

Primarily, animal welfare is concerned with ensuring that animals in our care are not compromised with respect to their health, well-being or ability to perform their natural behavioural repertoires.

It is intrinsically linked to the physical and psychological health of an animal and is a concept designed to minimise the suffering of animals over which we have a duty of care.

Over recent years the consumer has enjoyed an increased choice of farm products at prices lower than ever before. It is this demand that has driven a revolution in farming practices and breeding strategies. Many modern farming methods have a direct impact on animal welfare and these issues are discussed in these pages. In many cases, there is also a close link between animal welfare and productivity.  At the level of the individual animal, research has repeatedly shown that animals in a poor state of welfare do not perform to the best of their ability.  The productivity advantages resulting from good welfare may not be intuitively obvious and may be difficult to quantify.  However, the information contained in these pages will point out where research has shown that economic benefits can be realised by maintaining good welfare standards.   

The Five Freedoms

The Five Freedoms are often used as a checklist against which to assess the welfare of an animal.  They are:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom from pain, injury and disease
• Freedom to express normal behaviour
• Freedom from fear and distress

The Codes of Recommendation for the Welfare of Livestock used by Defra and the Scottish Government use the attainment of these Five Freedoms as their starting point.  Information on these codes can be found under each of the relevant dairy, beef and sheep headings. 

For more information on animal welfare from other organisations, use the links on the right.