Animal Welfare Assessment Standards and Responsibilities

Why Carry Out Welfare Assessments?

• To meet animal care standards
• To ensure animal sentience is acknowledged
• To prevent suffering, promote well-being, and enable species-typical behaviors
• To comply with regulatory standards
• To ensure facility registration
• To prevent animal pain and suffering

Welfare Assessment Standards

• International: World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) - Terrestrial Animal Health Code
• National: Examples include Australia's Code of Practice and Minimum Standards for the Welfare of Chickens (AO 12), Pigs (AO 41), and Small Companion Animals (AO 54)
• Private: Practice Standards Schemes (e.g., in clinical practice)

Welfare Assessment Responsibility

• Owner: Formulates plans, maintains records
• Veterinarian: Advises on plans and records, reviews performance, advises on corrective action
• Assessor: Provides feedback but not advice

Welfare Assessment Contexts

• Individual Level: Veterinary practice - clinical examination
• Group Context:
  • Veterinary practice - farm planning
  • Quality assurance schemes - on-farm and slaughterhouses
  • Laboratory animal research

Welfare Assessment Delivery

• Quality assurance schemes
• Benchmarking
• Veterinary practices assisting clients
• Veterinary practices’ own standards (e.g., Practice Standards Schemes - Standards of care)

Animal Welfare Assessment Schemes

• Five Freedoms Framework
• Welfare Inputs - Welfare Outputs
• Quantifying welfare compromise (Severity-Duration-Number)
• Welfare Quality® project
• Animal / Outcome-based measures:
  • Physiological measures
  • Behavioral measures
  • Production and Disease (Clinical Health) measures

The Five Freedoms and Animal Welfare

• Developed by Brambell (1965) and FAWC (1992)

The Five Freedoms and Welfare Inputs and Outputs

• Freedom from Hunger & Thirst:
  • Inputs: Access to fresh water, a diet for full health and vigor
  • Outputs: Body weight, body condition score, signs of dehydration
• Freedom from Discomfort:
  • Inputs: Appropriate environment, including shelter and comfortable resting areas
  • Outputs: Pressure sores
• Freedom from Pain, Injury & Disease:
  • Inputs: Veterinary advice for disease prevention or treatment
  • Outputs: Prevalence of coughing
• Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour:
  • Inputs: Sufficient space, facilities, and social interaction
  • Outputs: Signs of injury from fighting, abnormal behaviors.
• Freedom from Fear and Distress:
  • Inputs: Conditions and treatment that prevent mental suffering, including stockperson training
  • Outputs: Avoidance distance

Using the Five Freedoms for Welfare Assessment

• Outputs:
  • Number: Percentage of animals affected
  • Severity: How badly they are affected
  • Duration: How long the problem has been ongoing

Group Assessment - Quality Assurance Schemes

• Welfare Quality® Project: Collaboration between researchers in 19 countries, including 15 in Europe and 4 in Latin America (Mexico, Uruguay, Chile, Brazil).
• Target Species: Laying hens, broilers, pigs, beef and dairy cattle, water buffalo.