Integrating On-Farm Animal Welfare Assessments into Regulatory Frameworks: Challenges and Solutions for Improved Animal Care

Abstract

Animal welfare is a complex issue of growing importance in global agriculture. This chapter examines the challenges of integrating on-farm animal welfare assessments into Indian regulatory frameworks. It reviews theoretical approaches such as ethology, the Five Freedoms, and ecofeminism, emphasizing animal-based measures like body condition scoring for direct evaluation of animal well-being. These challenges include achieving consistent standards across India’s diverse farming systems, ensuring economic feasibility for farmers, and bridging potential gaps in understanding between farmers and regulators. This chapter advocates for a collaborative approach, involving industry, government, animal welfare science, and consumers, to develop practical, science-based regulatory frameworks tailored to Indian agriculture. Furthermore, technology, including precision livestock farming and sensors, offers promising tools to enhance assessment accuracy, efficiency, and affordability. Drawing on global models from Canada, the EU, and New Zealand, this chapter advocates for integrating on-farm welfare assessments into India’s agricultural regulations, tailored to the specific conditions of smallholder farms and indigenous livestock. This chapter calls for a collaborative and science-based approach to drive continuous improvement in animal care on Indian farms, promoting both animal welfare and agricultural sustainability.