ANIMAL WELFARE
There are no federal laws protecting the welfare of animals on a farm.
The American Veterinary Medical Association defines animal welfare as how an animal copes with the condition in which it lives. It has been studied and documented that an animal is in a good state of welfare if it is
Healthy
Comfortable
Well nourished
Safe
Able to express natural behaviors
Not suffering from pain, fear or distress
Protecting an animals' welfare means providing for their physical and emotional needs.
It is well established that animals have complex emotions, very similar to our own - a reading list will be provided at the bottom of the page. ​Continue scrolling to learn about the animal welfare concerns in CAFOs.
The Emotional World of Animals
This 50 minute documentary is an excellent introduction into the emotions of farm animals.
Narrated by Jefferey Masson, author of When Elephants Weep and Dogs Never Lie About Love, who leads viewers through the personal journey he underwent while writing his latest book, The Pig Who Sang to The Moon.
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Short on time? This 3 minute video highlights the emotions of farm animals and how it is often overlooked.
THE FIVE FREEDOMS
A concept developed by the World Organization for Animal Health that is used as the guiding standard for animal welfare across the globe.
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These Five Freedoms are intended to guide the treatment of farm animals.
There are no federal laws that protect farm animals while on the farm.
There is one law that addresses transport and one law that addresses slaughter- both of which are limited by insufficient enforcement and do not include chickens, turkeys, other poultry or aquatic animals.
FREEDOM FROM THIRST, HUNGER AND MALNUTRITION
Attained by providing access to fresh food and water to maintain full health and vigor
FREEDOM FROM DISCOMFORT AND EXPOSURE
Attained by providing shelter and a comfortable resting area
FREEDOM FROM PAIN, INJURY AND DISEASE
Attained by prevention and rapid diagnosis and treatment.
FREEDOM FROM FEAR AND DISTRESS
Attained by ensuring conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering.
FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NORMAL BEHAVIOR
Attained by providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and the company of an animals own kind.
The CAFO dilemma
CAFOs are designed to keep the largest amount of animals possible in the smallest amount of space. These animals often don't have enough space to move let alone perform normal behaviors. This leads to disease and stress.
Here are several welfare and health concerns common on CAFOs
Cages and overcrowding.
Physical alterations like teeth-clipping or tail-docking, performed without anesthetic
Indoor confinement with poor air quality and unnatural light patterns
Inability to engage in important natural behaviors, like laying eggs in nests or roosting at night
Breeding for fast growth or high yields of meat, milk and eggs that compromises animal health and welfare
Illnesses and injuries left unnoticed or untreated, often due to an unmanageable ratio of animals to workers
Reliance on antibiotics to compensate for stressful and unsanitary conditions
Rough or abusive handling by workers, often due to a lack of training, frustration at poor working conditions, unreasonable demands by superiors or poor design of facilities
Source: ASPCA
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In addition to these violations of freedoms, several practices are allowed on CAFOs without pain relief such as those listed below from the Animal Welfare Institute.
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If the welfare of animals does not concern you, consider reading about the ways poor animal welfare impacts animal health, which directly impacts human health through increased risk of food borne illness (food poisoning) and antibiotic resistance.
Undercover Operations
*WARNING* Video contains images of cruel, standard farming practices.
Due to industry lead laws that prevent the public from seeing what goes on in their operations, the only way to get footage is through under cover operations. Here you will see not only violations of the Five Freedoms but violent abuse. There are hours of footage like this 2 minute clip. This clip highlights standard conditions in many CAFOs across the world where the average person gets their meat, poultry or dairy. For more information about under cover operations, see Mercy For Animals YouTube Channel or visit their website .
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For a more in depth film, watch Dominion.
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