SCIENCE AND CERTIFICATION
IN ANIMAL WELFARE
Craig Harris
Paul Thompson
Carmen Bain
Institute for Food and Agricultural Standards
Michigan State University
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• Historically in the U.S., farm animal welfare
constructed separately from domestic
animal welfare
– Humane Society USA focused on domestic
animals
– Most recent farm animal welfare regulation was
promulgated in 1950
– Whereas rhetoric of “cruelty” and “unnecessary
pain and suffering” was applied in both realms,
level of standard was much lower in agriculture
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• Historically in the U.S., farm animal welfare
constructed separately from domestic animal
welfare
• New social movements of the 1960s
– Civil rights of racial and ethnic minorities
– Human and economic rights of women
– Anti-Vietnam War movement
– Student rights
– Environmental movement
• Species conservation
– Animal rights
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• New social movements of the 1960s
– Civil rights of racial and ethnic minorities
– Human and economic rights of women
– Anti-Vietnam War movement
– Student rights
– Environmental movement
– Animal rights
• Animal Liberation Front – laboratory animals
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• New social movements of the 1960s
– Civil rights of racial and ethnic minorities
– Human and economic rights of women
– Anti-Vietnam War movement
– Student rights
– Environmental movement
– Animal rights
• Animal Liberation Front – laboratory animals
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
• Single issue groups (e.g., Farm Sanctuary)
2. Husbandry Practices
2.1 Feeding Practices
2.2 Surfaces and Lameness
2.2.1 Indoor walking surfaces
2.2.2 Mattresses and bedding
2.2.3 Outdoor walking surfaces
2.3 Housing
2.3.1 Tie stalls
2.3.2 Free stalls
2.3.3 Straw yards
2.3.4 Drylots
2.3.5 Pasture
2.4 Environmental Conditions
2.4.1 Environmental sanitation and mastitis
2.4.2 Air temperature and humidity
2.4.3 Stray voltage
2.5 Surgical Mutilations
2.5.1 Tail docking
2.5.2 Dehorning, disbudding
2.5.3 Supernumerary teat removal
2.5.4 Identification
2.6 Handling Practices
2.7 Downed Cows
2.8 Calf Rearing Practices
2.8.1 Separation from cow
2.8.2 Calf feeding
2.8.3 Calf housing
2.8.4 Handling of male calves
Tie Stalls
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• New social movements of the 1960s
– Civil rights of racial and ethnic minorities
– Human and economic rights of women
– Anti-Vietnam War movement
– Student rights
– Environmental movement
– Animal rights
• Animal Liberation Front – laboratory animals
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
• Single issue groups (e.g., Farm Sanctuary)
– Shift toward rhetoric of “duty of care”
Mahatma Gandhi
the greatness of a nation and its moral
progress can be measured by the way in
which its animals are treated
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• Historically in the U.S., farm animal welfare
constructed separately from domestic
animal welfare
• New social movements of the 1960s
• Sustainable agriculture movement
– Stewardship of agricultural resources
– Challenging industrial model of farming
• Concentrated animal feeding operations
(CAFO’s)
SOURCES OF ACTIVISM FOR FARM
ANIMAL WELFARE IN THE U.S.
• Historically in the U.S., farm animal welfare
constructed separately from domestic
animal welfare
• New social movements of the 1960s
• Sustainable agriculture movement
• Unified animal welfare movement
– Humane Society USA
– Spectrum of approaches
•
•
•
•
Direct action
Civil society discourse
Market based actions
Government regulation
MASS MEDIA RESPONSES
• Regular and ongoing coverage in major
newspapers
CONSUMER RESPONSES
• Increasing vegan and vegetarian diets
• Increasing consumption of organic
foods
• Increasing emphasis on kosher and
halal
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE - 1
• State government
– 19 states pass laws making interference
with food or agriculture a criminal
behavior
– California legislation to make foie gras
humane
PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE
• Some producers occupy market niche
– Niman Ranch
– Free range poultry
– Nolan Ryan Beef
– Grass fed beef
PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE
• Some producers occupy market niche
• Some producer groups and integrators and
retailers negotiate with advocacy groups
– United Egg Producers
– McDonalds
– Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)
PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE
• Some producers occupy market niche
• Some producer groups and integrators and
retailers negotiate with advocacy groups
– United Egg Producers
– McDonalds
– Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC)
• Some retailers act independently
Whole Foods Market Announces Director of Animal Compassion Foundation
Company Launching Foundation with Funds
Raised by First Global Five Percent Day on January 25
Austin, Texas — January 18, 2005.
Whole Foods Market®, the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket,
today announced Anne Malleau will serve as executive director of the new Animal
Compassion Foundation. To help meat producers achieve a higher standard of
animal welfare excellence while still maintaining economic viability, the
Foundation will:
Search the planet for innovative ranchers and farmers who raise their animals
with the well-being of the animal rather than producer productivity as the primary
goal
Create a worldwide network comprised of animal compassionate ranchers and
farmers to share knowledge to learn and improve together
Collect and compile the global knowledge of animal compassionate methods into
an online library to help other interested ranchers and farmers successfully
convert to more animal compassionate methods
Provide research money to animal scientists at universities around the world to
address any challenges faced by producers trying to raise animals more
compassionately
• From our perspective of food and
agricultural standards, we ask five
questions . . .
VALUES AND GOALS
• What are the values and goals and
objectives for animal welfare
standards?
– Limitation of harm to some acceptable
level
– Achieve state of wellbeing
WHAT STANDARDS ARE BEING
DEVELOPED?
• Producers use production standards
• Husbandry guidelines – veterinary and
physiological health indicators
WHAT STANDARDS ARE BEING
DEVELOPED?
• Producers use production standards
• Husbandry guidelines – veterinary and
physiological health indicators
• Consumers use visual standards
derived from traditional farming and
animals “natural environments”
• Nature of welfare – relationship to pain
HOW AND BY WHOM ARE
STANDARDS BEING DEVELOPED?
• Many stakeholders at various nodes of
the system are currently developing
standards, both individually and in
negotiation with other stakeholders
• USDA developing a voluntary “grass
fed” label standard
HOW AND BY WHOM IS
COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS
BEING CERTIFIED?
ROLES OF SCIENCE IN ANIMAL
WELFARE STANDARDS
• Scientists seek quantifiable parameters to
measure welfare
• Which disciplinary research methods –
veterinary, animal science, ethology,
cognitive science, genetics, evolutionary
biology