Changes in Animal Welfare Views in New Zealand: Responding to Global Change

2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 325-340 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Loveridge
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Government Organizations ◽  
Consumer Action ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Industry Standards ◽  
Welfare Issue ◽  
On Farm

Abstract Consumer action is leading to increasing debate over on-farm activities in New Zealand. Both animal welfare activists and government organizations frequently refer to the importance of welfare standards in order to secure overseas markets, as well as in response to local concerns. This article explores rural and urban people’s views of welfare of animals kept on farms for commercial purposes in response to a 2008 survey commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It compares and contrasts these recent findings with those of an earlier (1994) survey, to demonstrate how understanding of—and the impetus for—changing farm practices have developed. The article also looks at the global context of the animal welfare issue and discusses how overseas trends impact the New Zealand situation. The view that animal welfare is purely about physical well-being is among those challenged at home and abroad, and farmers are now forced to defend and amend industry standards.

scholarly journals Developing an Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Cows in Extensive Beef Cow–Calf Systems in New Zealand. Part 1: Assessing the Feasibility of Identified Animal Welfare Assessment Measures

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Baby Kaurivi ◽  
Richard Laven ◽  
Rebecca Hickson ◽  
Tim Parkinson ◽  
Kevin Stafford
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Beef Cow ◽  
Cattle Management ◽  
Assessment Measures ◽  
Animal Welfare Assessment ◽  
Cow Calf ◽  
On Farm

Potential measures suitable for assessing welfare in pasture-based beef cow–calf systems in New Zealand were identified from Welfare Quality and UC Davis Cow-Calf protocols. These were trialled on a single farm and a potential protocol of 50 measures created. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the measures included in this protocol on multiple farms in order, to develop a credible animal welfare assessment protocol for pasture-based cow–calf farms systems in New Zealand. The assessment protocol was trialled on 25 farms over two visits and took a total of 2.5 h over both visits for a 100-cow herd. The first visit in autumn included an animal welfare assessment of 3366 cows during pregnancy scanning, while the second visit in winter included a questionnaire-guided interview to assess cattle management and health, and a farm resource evaluation. Through a process of eliminating unsuitable measures, adjustments of modifiable measures and retaining feasible measures, a protocol with 32 measures was created. The application of the protocol on the farms showed that not all measures are feasible for on-farm assessment, and categorisation of identified animal welfare measures into scores that indicate a threshold of acceptable and non-acceptable welfare standards is necessary.

scholarly journals Role of Veterinarian in Animal Welfare Issue: A Global Concept

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
M Ariful Islam
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Code Of Practice ◽  
Welfare Issue ◽  
Relief Of Suffering ◽  
Animal Resources ◽  
Animal Care

Animal welfare is the well-being of animals.  The standards of "good" animal welfare vary considerably between different contexts. These standards are under constant review and are debated, created and revised by animal welfare groups, legislators and academics worldwide (Hewson, 2003). It is strongly linked to animal health, which similarly depends on good animal husbandry. Animal welfare is a core mandate of the veterinary community generally and veterinarians individually. This concept is articulated by many veterinary organizations in their Code of Practice, Veterinary Oath or other statements of commitment. Such statements centre on the common theme “a veterinarian should be dedicated to the benefit of society, the conservation of animal resources and the relief of suffering of animals and to promote animal wellbeing”. As scientific knowledge in the field of animal welfare expands and the expectations of society change in regard to animal care, so the commonly accepted definitions of animal welfare have evolved. Knowledge of animal welfare, particularly those in production is becoming essential to veterinary professionals across the globe.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v13i1.23702Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2015). 13 (1): 1-3

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