LEDUC, Alta. — Life improved for many farm animals when scientists got involved.
More knowledge about nutrition, health care and behaviour has resulted in positive outcomes for livestock, said animal welfare researcher David Mellor of Massey University in New Zealand.
Science-based animal care began with problem solving rather than relying on tradition and opinions about good husbandry, he said at Alberta Farm Animal Care’s annual meeting in Leduc March 22.
When he studied for his PhD in Edinburgh in 1967, researchers were still trying to define nutrition and mineral requirements during the animal’s life cycle.
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“The outcome has been much improved nutritional management, and they are beneficiaries of that,” he said.
New ways to improve animals’ physical environment are better understood than in the past.
In the area of health care, at least 70 vaccines have been developed for animals and are used widely to prevent or minimize serious disease. Antibiotics and dewormers are also available to improve an animal’s lot in life.
The importance of hygiene was recognized, and relief for painful procedures is coming with large advances in surgical techniques.
The original treatise for improving animal welfare was the five freedoms:
- freedom from hunger and thirst
- freedom from discomfort
- freedom from pain, injury or disease
- freedom to express normal behaviour
- freedom from fear and distress
At the same time, provisions were added to explain how these requirements could be reached.
“It was a really good first attempt and it generated so many good outcomes,” Mellor said.
“It identified five targets for welfare improvement with the freedoms and it detailed practical ways to meet these targets.”
However, the concept became more dogmatic over time, and the provisions were lost along the way.
The modern approach minimizes negative experiences.
“If we allow animals to engage in positive behaviour or things they find rewarding, it enables animals to engage in rewarding behaviours that are voluntarily, self motivated and goal directed behaviour and gives animals a sense of control, which we know is important to them,” he said.
Positive experiences such as interest, confidence, affection, bonding with their young and each other, protection, safety, playfulness and sexual gratification are needed.
“We know animals enjoy sex that is unrelated to procreation.”
Mellor was involved in the creation of the five domains, an assessment of animal welfare first published in 1994.
It started as a way to assess animals’ welfare but can be applied on a broader scale.
It is not a definition of welfare but can be used to grade external and internal sensations.
Nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and the mental component are considered to assess the overall welfare status of the animal in different circumstances.
Positive experiences such as nutrition include the sensation of enjoying drinking and eating. Pleasant tastes, textures and smells from a variety of feed are positive elements.
Environment is connected to comfort, correct temperatures and variety of scenery. They have shelter or protection from exposure. They do not have to live in a constant temperature, and they prefer different lighting intensities.
“Animals prefer to have a variety of those things, and when variety is there, they utilize it by seeking different parts of the environment out as opposed to the environment they were in,” he said.
Health means vitality of physical fitness and functioning without injury or disease. If animals are sick or injured, they are treated appropriately.
The mental state includes expressing normal behaviour along with feelings of being in control, being safe and having the capacity to exercise choices.
There is always overlap among the domains of animal welfare.
On a practical side, it is possible to objectively grade animal welfare using this approach by observing their behaviour. For example, layer hens like perches, scratch pads and dust baths.
“When they are provided, we know the birds are using them,.”
Understanding of animal welfare has changed how negative experiences are dealt with and how positive things can be introduced to their lives.
They may be offered a variety of different feeds or changing environments in a barn.
“It will take time to work out how to do it,” he said.
