Exploring the Essential Five Freedoms of Cattle Welfare

Animal welfare has become an increasingly important topic in recent decades, driven by ethical, public health and sustainability concerns.

The modern livestock industry faces the challenge of meeting the growing demand for meat and dairy products, while ensuring that the animals in its care live a life free from suffering and with a high quality of life. In other words, as the emotional and cognitive complexity of animals is recognized, it becomes increasingly important to ensure that they live lives free from unnecessary suffering and enjoy conditions that promote their quality of life.

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Origin of the concept of animal freedoms

It is common knowledge that animals feel pain, pleasure and happiness; However, it is difficult to know when they are angry, stressed or depressed. Ignorance of these factors has a significant impact on the actions taken to improve their living conditions and at the same time ward off threats to their well-being.

It was in the 60s in England that the concept of animal freedoms emerged. In 1964, with the publication of the book “Animal Machines”, veterinarian Ruth Harrison revealed that there was room for improvement in the conditions and treatment of animals, such as cattle subject to inappropriate slaughter conditions. It was in this way that the English population became aware of the poor animal production practices that would become the food they ate. The British government then created a committee to investigate this matter. Thus, 5 years later the committee revealed through its studies that many animals raised in England lived in inadequate spaces to move, in accordance with their natural behavior.

The conclusions of this investigation led to the creation in 1979 of the Farm Animal Welfare Council, which published a document defining the guidelines that became known as the Five Freedoms of Animals.

In this article, we will analyze these freedoms in depth.

The “5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare”

1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst: Animals must have constant access to fresh drinking water and a nutritious diet that meets their physiological and behavioral needs. Malnutrition and dehydration are significant sources of suffering for animals, affecting not only their physical health but also their emotional well-being.
2. Freedom from discomfort: animals must have living conditions that minimize physical and emotional discomfort. This includes ensuring adequate shelter from the weather, providing sufficient space for animals to move and rest. In other words, animals must have access to shelter that protects them from adverse weather conditions such as rain, sun or wind. Comfortable resting areas with shade and dry bedding are also important for livestock welfare.
3. Freedom from pain, illness or injury: animals must be protected from illness and injury and receive veterinary treatment when necessary. This involves taking proactive measures to avoid situations that could put animals at risk of physical suffering and providing appropriate veterinary care whenever necessary.
4. Freedom from fear and stress: animals must be protected from situations that cause fear or excessive stress. Chronic stress can have serious consequences for physical and mental health, which compromises the long-term well-being of animals. Therefore, it is essential to minimize sources of stress whenever possible and provide a safe and predictable environment in which animals feel protected and comfortable.
5. Freedom to express Natural Behavior: animals must be able to express their behaviors and instincts. Each species has its own behavioral patterns, which are essential for its physical and emotional well-being. Therefore, providing an environment that provides cognitive stimulation and socialization opportunities, such as creating spaces that allow exploration and adequate physical exercise, is essential.
   

Why Animal Welfare is important?

To ensure that animals are treated in accordance with welfare guidelines that consider their characteristic behavior, it is important that their production and management is in line with scientific, technical and practical recommendations. Therefore, in addition to treating animals with respect and in a healthy way, promoting animal welfare:

• Reduces the cost of production operations
• Takes into account the increasing demands of consumers regarding animal health
• Increases productivity
• Reduces the environmental footprint

Welfare for dairy cows

To raise dairy cows, it is necessary to build appropriate facilities that prevent injuries, accidents and stress. Likewise, it is necessary to feed cows with quality forage and pastures. Places where cows spend more time standing, such as waiting and milking areas, as well as feeders and waterers, must be cleaned frequently and the floor must be made of well-maintained rubber and free from sharp corners.

The accommodation must be the correct height so that dairy cows can demonstrate their natural behavior, with corridors and passages that allow smaller cows not to be trapped by dominant cows.

Paints, creolin, toxic disinfectants, among others, should be avoided in places where cattle are raised.

Conclusion

The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare serve as a fundamental guide to ensuring that animals under the care of the livestock industry live lives free from suffering and with a good quality of life. By implementing these five guidelines, producers can meet the growing ethical demands of consumers, as well as reap the benefits of more productive, sustainable and ethical livestock farming.

Livestock welfare is a shared responsibility between producers, consumers and society as a whole.

References

C. McCausland, “The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare are Rights,” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Jan. 2014.

AJF WEBSTER, “Farm Animal Welfare: the Five Freedoms and the Free Market,” The Veterinary Journal, vol. 161, no. 3, pp. 229–237, 2001, doi: https://doi.org/10.1053/tvjl.2000.0563.

DJ Mellor, “Updating Animal Welfare Thinking: Moving beyond the 'Five Freedoms' towards 'A Life Worth Living,'” Animals, vol. 6, no. 3, 2016, https://doi.org/10.3390/ani6030021.

SP Mc Culloch, “A Critique of FAWC's Five Freedoms as a Framework for the Analysis of Animal Welfare,” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, Dec. 2012, Accessed: Apr. 30, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10806-012-9434-7

X. Manteca, A. Velarde, and B. Jones, “Animal welfare components,” in Welfare of production animals: assessment and management of risks, Brill | Wageningen Academic, 2009, pp. 61–77. https://doi.org/10.3920/9789086866908_005