Abstract
It costs money to improve the welfare of farm animals. For people with animals under their care, there are many factors to consider regarding changes in practice to improve welfare, and the optimal course of action is not always obvious. Decision support systems for animal welfare, such as economic cost–benefit analyses, are lacking. This review attempts to provide clarity around the costs and benefits of improving farm animal welfare, thereby enabling the people with animals under their care to make informed decisions. Many of the costs are obvious. For example, training of stockpeople, reconfiguration of pens, and administration of pain relief can improve welfare, and all incur costs. Other costs are less obvious. For instance, there may be substantial risks to market protection, consumer acceptance, and social licence to farm associated with not ensuring good animal welfare. The benefits of improving farm animal welfare are also difficult to evaluate from a purely economic perspective. Although it is widely recognised that animals with poor welfare are unlikely to produce at optimal levels, there may be benefits of improving animal welfare that extend beyond production gains. These include benefits to the animal, positive effects on the workforce, competitive advantage for businesses, mitigation of risk, and positive social consequences. We summarise these considerations into a decision tool that can assist people with farm animals under their care, and we highlight the need for further empirical evidence to improve decision-making in animal welfare.
Highlights
Animal welfare is of increasing concern to society, and many people with farm animals under their care, such as farmers, stockpeople, truck drivers, and abattoir workers, are striving to improve the welfare of those animals
This definition builds upon the definitions of animal welfare put forth by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) and builds on the work of Mellor, Patterson-Kane, and Stafford [4,5,6]
A widespread media campaign in 2004 by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) prompted certain foreign buyers to boycott the purchase of Australian wool [24,25], and by 2006, Australians’ disapproval of mulesing had grown to 39% [26]
Summary
Animal welfare is of increasing concern to society, and many people with farm animals under their care, such as farmers, stockpeople, truck drivers, and abattoir (slaughterhouse) workers, are striving to improve the welfare of those animals. Improving animal welfare means ensuring that the experiences of the animal are as positive as they possibly can be, which often requires changes to infrastructure and practices by the people responsible for the care and handling of the animals. Despite their desire to improve the welfare of farm animals, those with animals under their care may be prevented from taking action because of the complexity of deciding which practices to improve and by how much. We attempt to further clarify the costs and benefits associated with improving farm animal welfare, with the view that this may enable people with animals under their care to make informed decisions
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