Key area 4: Animal welfare and indicators of poor welfare

1. Key area 4: Animal welfare and indicators of poor welfare

2. Animal welfare LI: • Describe the factors that contribute to the wellbeing of domesticated animals. • Describe the main behavioural indicators of poor welfare

3. Animal welfare Providing livestock with good environmental conditions to live involves: • Costs e.g. • Benefits e.g. • Ethics e.g.

4. The “Animal welfare act 2006” enshrined the “Five Freedoms for animal welfare” into law. Use the internet to find out what the “five freedoms” are.

6. Intensive farming is less ethical than free range due to poorer animal welfare • Free range requires more land and is more labourintensive but can be sold at a higher price and animals have a better quality of life. • Intensive farming often creates conditions of poor animal welfare but is often more cost effective, generating higher profit as costs are low.

7. Behavioural indicators of poor behaviour Animals in poor conditions display the following types of behaviour: • Stereotypy • Misdirected behaviour • Failure in sexual/parental behaviour • Altered activity levels

8. Stereotypy Watch this video link: http://youtu.be/T1T12CHFt0M Write a short note describing what constitutes stereotypy in pets/livestock.

9. Misdirected behaviour Normal behaviour is directed inappropriately e.g. Animals may mutilate themselves by over-grooming, plucking or chewing itself. Or, be misdirected towards the surroundings.

10. Failure of sexual/parental behaviour Poor conditions can be responsible for failure of animals to breed successfully. It can also lead to offspring being rejected.

11. Level of activity Excessive sleeping or hyper-aggression can be a sign of poor living conditions Very low levels of activity is termed apathy and very high levels as hysteria

12. Key area 4: Animal welfare and indicators of poor welfare • Testing Your Knowledge Page 290 Q1-2 • What you should know page 245 Q8-11