Animal Welfare in the Context of Animal Production

Abstract

SynonymsAnimal care; Animal ethics; Animal husbandry; Quality oflifeIntroductionTraditionally, the term ``animal welfare'' hasbeen used to refer broadly to the ``quality of life'' of animalsespecially when people raise concerns about how animals aretreated. This entry attempts to clarify some of the confusionthat has arisen around the term, partly because different peopleview the quality of life of animals through differentvalue-based lenses.Three Broad ConcernsIn the 1700s and 1800s,concern about the treatment of animals was generally expressedin terms of ``cruelty,'' and the main focus was on deliberateacts of animal abuse or neglect. With the growingintensification of animal production since 1950, concern wasoften expressed about unintended effects of confinementproduction systems on the quality of life of animals, and thesewere generally captured under the broader term ``animalwelfare'' (Woods 2012).The term ``animal welfare'' has beenused, especially in social commentary and ...