Exposing the elephant in the room? Connecting speciesism to Canadian animal welfare legislation

Part I: Animal Sentience: Evidence and Interpretations * The Sentience of Chimpanzees and Other Animals * The Distribution of the Capacity for Sentience in the Animal Kingdom * Animal Emotions and Animal Sentience and Why They Matter: Blending 'Science Sense' with Common Sense, Compassion and Heart * Animal Welfare: What is the Role of Science? * Part II: Ethics, Law and Science * Educating Scientists About Ethics * What Prevents Us From Recognizing Animal Sentience? * Sentience and Rights * Entitling Non-human Animals to Fundamental Legal Rights on the Basis of Practical Autonomy * Animal Welfare Legislation in China: Public Understanding and Education * The Evolving Animal Rights and Welfare Debate in China: Political and Social Impact Analysis * Islamic Philosophy on Animal Rights * The Ethical Matrix as a Decision-making Tool, with Specific Reference to Animal Sentience * Part III: Implications for Farming and Food Production * Ideals and Realities: What Do We Owe to Farm Animals? * Animal Sentience in US Farming * McDonald's: Progressing Global Standards in Animal Welfare * Respecting Animal Sentience in Organic Farming * The Welfare of Animals Bred for Their Fur in China * The Implications of Agricultural Globalization in India * Sustainable Development and Animal Welfare: The Neglected Dimension * Part 4 Animal Sentience in International Policy * Outlawed in Europe: Animal Protection Progress in the European Union * Why China is Waking Up to Animal Welfare * Animal Welfare and Economic Development: A Financial Institution * The International Animal Welfare Role of the Office International des pizooties: The World Organization for Animal Health * Achieving Access to Ethical Food: Animal and Human Health Come Together * Conclusion *

This chapter considers the welfare of animals in Europe. It will begin by setting out the background to the various European legal systems. It will consider the legislative or constitutional recognition of animal sentience or similar and then the mechanisms for political or government accountability for animal welfare and bodies providing scientific/ethical advice about animal welfare needs. Adherence to OIE animal welfare standards, support for UDAW, signatories to international conventions and/or compliance with international animal protection laws will also be examined. It will consider general protections both around laws against animal cruelty and animal welfare legislation that imposes a duty of care. It will then provide an overview of animal protection or welfare legislation in specific areas including animals used in farming, animals in captivity, companion animals, animals used for draught and recreation, protection of wild animals, and animals used in scientific research. The legal situation is dominated in Europe by the EU so each section will begin with the EU’s law on that area. It will then consider whether any EU Member States or those European countries not in the EU go beyond these requirements. Next it will present any recommendations for reform before coming to an overall conclusion.

Simple SummaryThis study investigated the level of knowledge and the current situation with regard to the welfare of farm animals during transportation and in beef, pork, and poultry slaughterhouses. For this purpose, a questionnaire was developed to obtain data on respondents’ understanding of their work, knowledge of legislation, training, and attitudes towards animal welfare. Slaughterhouse employees and professional animal livestock drivers participated in the study. Slaughterhouse employees showed more knowledge about animal welfare than livestock drivers, but both groups were not sufficiently familiar with animal welfare legislation and regulations. All respondents agreed that animals are sentient beings and almost all respondents were unfamiliar with the concept of biosecurity. This study found that the results of the veterinary experts’ observations were generally lower than the results of the employees’ and livestock drivers’ self-assessments. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that there is a need to improve the awareness and knowledge of slaughterhouse employees and livestock drivers regarding animal handling and welfare regulations. This would include providing better hands-on training, better knowledge of legislation, and raising awareness of the benefits of certain procedures and standards in slaughterhouses and during transportation.Animal welfare is a multidimensional concept that includes several physical and psychological parameters of the animal. The aim of this study was to assess animal welfare during transportation and in Slovenian beef, pork, and poultry slaughterhouses. A questionnaire was used for this study. Several parameters of animal welfare were rated on a 5-point scale, such as health status, animal behavior, lairage or transport vehicle conditions, and driver regulation compliance. The scale was also used for the second part of the study. This consisted of two studies: (1) self-assessment by slaughterhouse employees and livestock transport drivers and (2) animal welfare observational assessment performed by two veterinarians. The results were compared with each other. Ten large slaughterhouses and nine livestock drivers took part in the survey. The results showed that slaughterhouse employees knew more about animal welfare than livestock truck drivers, but both groups were not sufficiently familiar with animal welfare laws and regulations. This study found that the experts’ assessments were generally lower than the self-assessments of employees and livestock drivers. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that there is a need to improve the awareness and knowledge of slaughterhouse employees and livestock drivers regarding animal handling and animal welfare regulations.

This document presents the opinion of the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), established from the work of its Animal Health and Welfare Expert Committee. Given the growing interest among European citizens in animal welfare (AW) and AW labelling on foodstuffs of animal origin, as well as the EC's Farm to Fork Strategy, which provides for a revision of legislation on AW and the possibility of AW labelling, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety issued a self‐mandate. In view of the proliferation of labels making claims about AW, the Agency deemed it necessary to establish scientific foundation on which a labelling reference framework and the associated AW assessment protocol should be based. A number of decisive points were highlighted by the expert appraisal of this internal request: – these guidelines are intended for scientists and stakeholders planning to establish a labelling reference framework including one or more AW assessment protocols for a given animal sector or category, with a view to labelling; – a labelling reference framework comprises various parts for which transparency and accessibility are expected, in particular a description of the players responsible for jointly establishing it, the category of animals concerned, the risk factors, how the assessment protocol was drawn up and the choice of measurement indicators, the multi‐step aggregation process, the final aggregation between the two levels (selection‐multiplication and production) and the ranking process in the multi‐level system; – the foodstuffs of animal origin concerned by labelling are derived from animals belonging mainly to the production level of the sector concerned and, to a lesser extent, to the selection‐multiplication level. These two levels are linked and should be subject to the same assessment protocol, leading to an overall AW score. Until now, few or no AW labelling reference frameworks have taken into account animals at the selection‐multiplication level, even though they are subject to particular rearing conditions; – obtaining an overall AW score is achieved by measuring indicators on the animals concerned or their environment. The indicators to be used are selected and described in the AW assessment protocol. Measurements taken on animals (ABMs) should be given priority consideration, as they provide information on AW and not on the human perception of it. This approach corresponds to the definition of animal welfare. Indicators based on the environment can only be used to assess breading management or animal protection; – indicating the rearing method on a label cannot be regarded as AW labelling. Although the rearing method corresponds to an AW potential, it must be validated by animal‐based AW indicators; – the ranking system for the overall AW score must be multi‐level in order to reflect the varied situations of farms and allow the system to be progressive, but also to provide consumers with information that is reliable, easy to understand and able to be ranked; – the lowest level of the ranking system covers situations that depend on how the labelling is to be applied. If it is compulsory, the minimum AW level is defined by strict application of the legislation. If it is voluntary, the minimum AW level of the ranking system should propose measures to improve on this strict application of the legislation. The Agency proposes that, in the event of voluntary application, these ameliorative actions exclude application of the derogations offered by AW legislation.

Social media are widespread and easily accessible communication tools and as such have become a means of Internet activism, or the place of mobilization and education of citizens for non-profit organizations and associations. In the doctoral dissertation, we explore the social media communication strategies of animal welfare organizations in the context of Internet activism. The main aim of the research is to analyze the communication values and the role of social media in the work of the associations for the promotion of the animal rights and welfare, with special reference to the new values in the fight for the animal rights and welfare and the benefits for the users who communicate with the associations via social media. Specific goals are; to determine which social media is primly used by organizations to promote animal rights and welfare, to identify the main intent or purpose of the messages posted by the associations on social media, more precisely on Facebook in the context of Internet activism, and to show the benefits that Facebook of the associations has for the users. The scientific contribution is the analysis of the communication strategies of non-profit organizations and new knowledge on the ways and possibilities of social media use for the associations. The theory of networked society is the first starting point of the dissertation. For Manuel Castells (2004), a networked society is a social structure composed of a number of networks based on information and communication technology. For Jan Van Dijk (2013), a networked society is a form of a society that organizes its relationships in media networks by gradually replacing or supplementing face-to-face communication. The agenda setting theory is the second starting point of the dissertation since the associations for the promotion of animal rights and welfare use the media (Facebook) to set the agenda to its audience or users. The theoretical framework for research related to users benefits from Facebook is found in the theory of uses and gratifications. The Internet is a place to meet a number of needs; communication, information, entertainment, creation, participation, support and so on. The dissertation is created in the field of information and communication sciences, so the emphasis is on the research of the media, media content and media effects. The dissertation consists of two parts. The first part deals with relevant literature in the field of information and communication sciences, psychology, sociology, philosophy and cultural anthropology that exams topics such as; animal welfare, animal welfare on the Internet, networked society, Internet, social media, Internet activism and so on. The second part is an empirical research. The research is carried out by using quantitative methods („Internet data mining‟, quantitative content analysis and Internet survey) and qualitative method (semistructured interview). In the first part of the research, by collecting Internet data, we present which social media the associations for the promotion of the animal rights and welfare use in their work. In the next part, by using content analysis, we present what kind of messages prevail on Facebook pages of these associations. Also, what kind of user activity and user comments prevail on their Facebook pages. In the third part of the research, by using semistructured interview, we present why do the association choose Facebook as a means of communication and what are their opinions on benefits and disadvantages of Facebook in their work. Finally, by using an online survey, we present the opinions of the users on the benefits that they have from Facebook pages of these associations. We have confirmed three hypotheses; animal rights and welfare associations use Facebook as the primary means of communication and information, the majority of Facebook messages of the animal rights and welfare associations are trying to encourage the public to foster animals, and the benefits for the users of Facebook of associations is the exchange of information, advice and education.

Animal welfare (AW) is a growing concern worldwide and veterinary students are expected to demonstrate a high degree of professional interest in the welfare of animals. However, previous studies have...

In most countries of the world, sustainability issues are viewed by the public as of increasing importance and animal welfare is perceived to be both a public good and a key aspect of these issues. European Union animal welfare policy and legislation on animal welfare has helped animals, has had much positive influence in the world and has improved the public image of the EU. Health is a key part of welfare and the one-health and one-welfare approaches emphasize that these terms mean the same for humans and non-humans. The animals that humans use are described as sentient beings in EU legislation. Scientific information about animal welfare, like that produced by EFSA, is used in the formulation of the wide range of EU animal welfare laws. The European Commission has an animal welfare strategy including the Animal Welfare Platform. However, most kinds of animals kept in the EU are not covered by legislation, and they are subject to some of the worst animal welfare problems, so a general animal welfare law and specific laws on several species are needed. Animal sentience and welfare should be mentioned, using accurate scientific terminology, in many trade-related laws as well as in animal-specific laws.

Animal welfare is the physical and psychological state of an animal as regards its attempt to cope with the environment. An animal\'s welfare is compromised if it does not enjoy the five fundamental freedoms, namely: freedom from hunger or thirst; freedom from thermal or physical discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; freedom from fear and distress and; freedom to indulge in normal behavior patterns. In recent times, animal welfare has developed into a science with growing amount of research whose outcomes have led to reforms in animal welfare legislation and improved conditions for production animals, research animals and those kept in captivity or as companion animals. Animal welfare abuse in Kenya results from: neglect; malicious physical injury; starvation; confinement; use of inappropriate modes of transportation/transportation facilities; manhandling during transportation; overcrowding; overloading; overworking; inhumane treatment at slaughter/slaughter facilities; inhumane treatment during capture; branding and; inappropriate working tools, among others. Animal welfare abuse in Kenya has been occasioned by: inadequate legal and policy provisions; inadequate capacity to monitor and minimize cruelty to animals; limited animal extension services and; inadequate training in animal welfare and supervision of service providers. Given that veterinarians influence how animals are treated at local, national and international levels, their training should include a good grounding in animal welfare education. The same should be extended to all other animal scientists. Through this, they can lead in bringing about improvements in animal welfare as well as helping to change attitudes towards animals. This paper looks at animal welfare issues in Kenya with respect to abuse, policy, legislation and education, and gives recommendations on the way forward. The Kenya Veterinarian Vol. 29 2005: pp. 48-52

This paper explains how research can contribute to an understanding of the welfare issues associated with transportation and the value of basing legislation to protect the welfare of animals on scientific evidence.However, it also indicates the limitations of existing research methodology and identifies where research can make a clear contribution to the amendment of existing legislation. The research should accurately reflect commercial practice and should focus upon the provision of readily transferable technological improvements and relevant legislation that will optimize both welfare and productivity. Research into the effects of transport on the welfare of animals involves the investigation of a multicomponent process which can potentially affect the welfare of animals in many ways. The research should identify and quantify those components of transport environments and practices which constitute a major risk to the welfare of animals and determine the optimum conditions for transportation based upon matching the conditions and procedures to the animals’ biological requirements. A range of different measurements have been made to evaluate the responses of farm animals to transportation. Physiological and biochemical variables should be selected to reflect responses or disturbances in the major homeostatic systems influenced by transport environments and practices. The value of the different measurements is strengthened by an understanding of the action and functional significance of the responses. Animal welfare legislation should be based upon sound scientific evidence relating to the animals’ physiological and behavioural requirements and their interaction with their immediate environment. Nowhere is this more important than in animal transportation.

The development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is linked to the imprudent use of antimicrobials and is fuelled by industrial farming, accounting for 70% of antimicrobial use. Tackling AMR requires a One Health approach that addresses the root causes of high antimicrobials use in intensive farming and generates co-benefits for human, animal and environmental health. On intensive farms animals are mostly of high-yield breeds and are exposed to stressors, which leads to immunosuppression, increasing susceptibility to infections that need antimicrobial therapy. To combat AMR the EU Commission adopted legislation prohibiting the use of antimicrobials to compensate for poor husbandry and management. However, there is a gap in policy regarding animal welfare improvements necessary to reduce the need for antimicrobials. We assess how the EU animal welfare legislation, under revision, can contribute to filling this gap by providing the regulatory framework for improvements needed to reduce antimicrobial use. Methods include literature review and expert interviews in an approach that integrates knowledge across the human-animal-environmental sectors. Improvements in husbandry and management (lower stocking density, outdoor access, genetic diversity, etc.) positively impact animal health and welfare, consequently reducing susceptibility to infections and antimicrobial use. By prescribing these improvements the revised animal welfare legislation can have a synergistic effect with the Veterinary Products Regulation, in line with the Farm to Fork strategy, and provide the regulatory framework for higher animal welfare standards that reduce antimicrobial use. The positive correlation between higher animal welfare and the reduced need for antimicrobials demonstrates the urgency of improving welfare in farming as a key strategy to limit AMR. It builds the case for an ambitious revision of the EU animal welfare legislation to protect animal and human health in line with One Health. Key messages • The revised EU animal welfare legislation can become a relevant policy in tackling AMR by providing the regulatory framework for high animal welfare standards neded to reduce antimicrobials in farming. • Tackling AMR requires a One Health approach addressing the root causes of high antimicrobial use in intensive farming: the poor welfare of animals, which increases their susceptibility to infections.

This guide accompanies the following article : The Animal Rights Movement in Theory and Practice: A Review of the Sociological Literature, Compass 6/2 (2012): pp. 166–181, 10.1111/j.1751‐9020.2011.00440.x Author’s introduction The animal rights movement has been described as one of the most neglected and misunderstood social movements of our era. However, social movement scholars are beginning to realise the political and moral significance of the world wide animal protection movement at a time when nature itself has been included in the specialist field of environmental sociology. Just as people are beginning to see that nature matters and is not separate from society, nonhuman animals (hereafter animals) too are increasingly perceived as worthy of our respect and consideration. The long‐running animal protection movement which began in England in the 18th century is today better known as the animal rights movement. It is the men and women of this movement who, atypically for a social movement, are campaigning for a species that is not their own. The movement’s theories and practices are important for what they do for animals and also because of what the animal rights controversy reveals about human beings. Author recommends Garner, Robert. 1998. Political Animals: Animal Protection Policies in Britain and the United States. London: Macmillan Press Ltd. The book describes the progress made by the animal protection movement in the two countries where animal rights protests have been most prominent. The author presents a comprehensive examination of animal welfare policies in Britain and the US thus providing an informative comparative study of the movement’s relationship with the state in these two countries. Garner’s focus on policy networks corresponds to the sociologist’s concept of social movement organizations. More than fifty such organizations balanced evenly between animal protectionists and animal‐user industries are discussed in the book. Political Animals provides an excellent introduction to the politics of animal rights, although missing in the accounts are the voices of the animal activists and their opponents. In the final analysis, it is the meaning activists attribute to their cause that drives the movement, a fact which Garner tacitly acknowledges. Imhoff, Daniel (ed) 2010. The CAFO Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories. Published by the Foundation for Deep Ecology with Watershed Media, Berkeley, LA: University of California Press. The Reader’s subject – concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) – covers most of the topics relevant to factory farmed animals and is divided into seven parts: (1) The pathological mindset of the CAFO; (2) Myths of the CAFO; (3) Inside the CAFO; (4) The loss of diversity; (5) Hidden costs of CAFO; (6) Technological takeover; (7) Putting the CAFO out to pasture. The acronym CAFO suggests a bland, mundane practice and is therefore a name which the editor believes should be replaced by the more accurate label “animal concentration camps”. The chapter titles indicate what is in store for the reader but the content is perhaps less confronting than the book’s companion photo‐format volume of the same name. The reader is a very comprehensive survey of how living creatures are subjected to inhumane practices for their body parts by “corporate food purveyors” and is essential reading for anyone who cares about the future survival of all of the earth’s species. Kean, Hilda. 1998. Animal Rights: Political and Social Change in Britain since 1800. London: Reaktion Books Ltd. In this attractive book, the historian Hilda Kean provides one of the most comprehensive and interesting surveys of the early animal protection movement in England, the birthplace of animal rights. Kean tells a compelling story of how and why people’s attitudes and practices involving animals changed over the past two centuries. She attributes these changes largely to the seemingly simple idea of “sight”, or how people were influenced by seeing for themselves how animals such as horses and dogs were ill treated in public spaces such as in streets and markets. Animals “out of sight” in vivisection laboratories and in abattoirs also came to the attention of the early animal protectionists, most of whom were women. The sight and spectacle of animal abuse turned hearts and stomachs once a light was shone on these everyday cruelties by the pioneers of animal rights in England. Kean’s book is nicely illustrated in keeping with the theme of seeing animals in their various relationships with humans. Munro, Lyle. 2005. Confronting Cruelty: Moral Orthodoxy and the Challenge of the Animal Rights Movement. Leiden & Boston: Brill. For most people animal cruelty is understood as unspeakable acts perpetrated by warped individuals mostly against dogs, cats, birds and sometimes horses. The animal rights movement seeks to broaden the issue of animal cruelty to include the vast numbers of animals that suffer and die in “the animal industrial complex” of intensive farming, recreational hunting and animal research and experimentation. The book draws on social movement theory to explain how and why an increasing number of people in the UK, US and Australia have taken up the cause of animals in campaigning against the exploitative practices of the animal‐user industries. Essentially, the thesis is that animal abuse is constructed by the animal rights movement as a social problem (speciesism) on a par with sexism and racism. This is the first book in the Human and Animal Studies Series which currently lists about a dozen monographs published by Brill under the editorship of Kenneth Shapiro of the Society & Animals Institute in the US. Noske, Barbara. 1989. Humans and Other Animals: Beyond the Boundaries of Anthropology. London: Pluto Press. As an anthropologist, Noske brings a different perspective to our relationship with nature, especially in the long process of animal domestication. Her chapter on “the animal industrial complex” shows how both human and nonhuman animals suffer within this structure of domination; for example, slaughterhouse work takes a heavy toll on the meat workers while the animals experience atrocious pain and misery on the assembly line of mass execution. Noske’s book is valuable for its broad treatment of animal‐human relations in which she describes cultural, historical, structural and sociological aspects of these relations particularly in America and Australia. Wilkie, Rhoda and Inglis David (eds.) 2007. The Social Scientific Study of Nonhuman Animals: A Five‐volume Collection – Animals and Society: Critical Concepts in the Social Sciences. (Vols 1–5), London: Routledge. This is a collection of 90 previously published articles and book chapters in approximately 2,000 pages on the social‐scientific study of animals. The papers range from the earliest in 1928 on “the culture of canines” to the latest in 2006 on “religion and animals.” Three quarters of the papers were published in the last two decades and are derived from anthropology, sociology, psychology, geography, philosophy and feminist studies. Because Animals and Society is based mostly on work derived from more than 12 different specialist journals, it has a claim to comprehensiveness; however, the editors mention topics that are not covered in the collection:

The development and substance of animal welfare policy is subject to a range of social, cultural, economic, and scientific influences that commonly vary within and between countries. Discrepancies in policy can create confusion and mistrust among stakeholders and consumers and limit the ability to create a uniform minimum level of requirements to safeguard animal welfare, as well as create a level 'playing field' for farmers when trading with other jurisdictions. The livestock sector is receiving growing scrutiny globally for real and perceived violations of animal welfare, for example, the practice of mulesing in Australia. This article explores animal welfare legislation within Australia and how it reflects the scientific evidence surrounding routine husbandry practices in sheep, including tail docking, castration, and mulesing. While there is some variation between state and territory legislation, the most notable concern is the lack of enforceable recommendations surrounding the evidence-based use of analgesia and anaesthesia for painful husbandry procedures. The age at which these procedures are recommended to be performed is relatively consistent across Australian jurisdictions, but there is a marked difference compared to international legislation. The global context of animal welfare legislation, public perception, and producer perception of these procedures are also discussed, highlighting the difficulty of creating robust animal welfare legislation that promotes a good standard of welfare that is respected worldwide whilst being practical in an Australian setting given our unique geography and climatic conditions.

This paper has explored the critical importance of integrating ecological ethics into animal welfare legislation. It has underscored the limitations of current legislation, which often lacks a holistic approach to animal protection, focusing primarily on anthropocentric concerns and failing to account for the intrinsic value of animals and their ecological roles. The paper has argued that by embracing ecological ethics principles such as respect for nature s intrinsic value, intergenerational justice, and the promotion of harmonious coexistence, legislation can be more effective in safeguarding animal welfare and supporting environmental sustainability. Case studies, including the European Union s Directive on animal testing, the Great Ape Project s influence on rights for great apes, and the U.S. Endangered Species Act, have been highlighted to demonstrate the practical application and impact of ecological ethics in legislation. The conclusion emphasizes the need for a transformative approach to animal welfare laws, one that reflects contemporary ethical considerations and contributes to a more sustainable and just relationship between humans, animals, and the environment.

In the absence of an explicit legal basis for animal welfare in the EU’s constitutional treaties, the EU only has indirect authority to adopt animal welfare legislation. As a result, the EU has derived its competence to legislate on animal welfare from other fields of competence. However, the prima facie limited competence of the EU in enacting animal welfare legislation has not hindered the advancement of the interests of animals in EU law, as the EU legislature has succeeded in integrating animal welfare rules in legislation that would pursue dual objectives – usually market-based objectives and animal protection objectives. Beyond the discussions over the EU’s fields of competence, which are more political in nature than a call for legal developments, the EU’s action on animal welfare has been limited to sectoral regulatory action, by way of enacting stand-alone legislative acts that are disconnected from other broader legislation and policies. A more horizontal approach, whereby the EU legislature integrates animal welfare rules across all policies that affect the treatment of animals, would increase the effectiveness and coherence of EU animal protection efforts.

Animal welfare legislation in Australia is influenced by “community expectations.” Given a major source of publicly available information on animal welfare law is that from media articles, it is likely the information discussed online could be influencing public opinion and consequently shaping animal welfare legislation reform efforts. This study examined the social media discourse in response to news articles on animal welfare law in Australia. A content analysis was applied to Facebook comments from posts originating from a formal news agency discussing animal cruelty and penalties over a 6-month period between 1 June 2019 to 1 December 2019. All posts were screened against eligibility criteria and imported into NVivo for inductive coding. A total of 24 Facebook posts with an accumulative 1,723 comments were coded and thematically analyzed. Six primary themes were generated from the analysis: (1) failure of the court system; (2) failure of the legislation; (3) failure of the government; (4) emotive reactions; (5) risk of violence; and (6) mistrust in the media. The social media discourse was scathing of the legal system, with a particular focus on failings of the animal welfare law justice system. It is likely that this type of discourse surrounding animal law enforcement could be playing an influential role over the “expectations” influencing animal welfare legislation reform in Australia.