3.4 Animal Welfare

Question 1

Define ‘Animal Welfare’

Answer 1

Animal Welfare is the physical and mental welfare of animals

Question 2

What are the five freedoms?

Answer 2

Five freedoms:
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from injury and disease
Freedom from distress
Freedom to express normal behaviours

Question 3

Why is intensive farming required?

Answer 3

Its required to meet food demands from the ever growing population

Question 4

What are the costs of animal welfare?

Answer 4

Free range requires more land and is more labour intensive, so it is more expensive.

Question 5

What are the benefits of providing animal welfare?

Answer 5

Animals have a better quality of life
Benefits - less stressed animals meaning greater productivity rates and greater reproduction rate
Animals grow better
Animals produce higher quality and quantity end product

Question 6

What are the indicators of a low level of animal welfare?

Answer 6

Stereotypy - repeated behaviours
Misdirected Behaviour - natural behaviours that are directed inappropriately
Failure of Sexual behaviour - is the failure of animals to breed successfully
Failure in Parental Behaviour - is seen when offspring are rejected
Altered levels of activity - very low is called apathy and very high is called hysteria

Question 7

Give an example of stereotypy

Answer 7

Pacing up and down a cage

Question 8

Give an example of misdirected behaviour

Answer 8

Excessive plucking of feathers.

Question 9

Give an example of failure of sexual/parental behaviour

Answer 9

Rejection of offspring

Question 10

What is anthropomorphism?

Answer 10

Attributing human behaviours to animals