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SUMMARY:Assessing Animal Welfare: Does One Size Fit All? - Carmen Hubbard\
 , University of Newcastle
DTSTART:20111107T163000Z
DTEND:20111107T180000Z
UID:TALK33536@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Anthony Podberscek
DESCRIPTION:There is still considerable debate around the concept of anima
 l welfare and how it can be better assessed and monitored from an animal p
 erspective.  Despite some recent attempts by academics and policy makers t
 o present different policy objectives and instruments to improve animal we
 lfare across the European Union\, rarely is it taken into account that spe
 cific instruments and/or indicators are better suited to some conditions a
 nd situations than others. Farm animals may enjoy good standards of care i
 n a country where there is little or no discussion about welfare per se\, 
 but where traditional management methods already permit a high degree of b
 ehavioural freedom.  The reverse may also be true.  In some countries ther
 e may be much discussion about animal welfare\, but no or few policies in 
 place to improve it. Although the issues are usually linked\, the relation
 ship between maturity in animal welfare policy-making and animal welfare p
 er se is not necessarily linear and different indicators are required to m
 onitor development. \n\nThis presentation attempts to shed light on some o
 f these issues\, following work carried out in the EUFP7 project\, EconWel
 fare. It examines the importance and effectiveness of a selection of polic
 y instruments and indicators in delivering farm animal welfare policy obje
 ctives. Almost 200 individuals\, classified into five categories of expert
 s from eight countries took part in a Policy Delphi exercise to explore th
 ese issues. Results suggest that perceptions of the importance and effecti
 veness of measures vary significantly across countries and experts. Thus\,
  the negotiation of an appropriate national response to the decision to fu
 rther improve farm animal welfare will be problematic\, as conflicting vie
 wpoints of different interest groups may need to be reconciled.  One cruci
 al element is the need for individual countries to have the autonomy to de
 cide upon the specific ways and means that they will adopt to achieve the 
 overall goal of improved farm animal welfare. The ability to tailor polici
 es and instruments to national experiences and to reflect different cultur
 al priorities will be an important factor in increasing the likelihood of 
 various stakeholders supporting the development of new European animal wel
 fare directives. Such findings suggest that a heterogeneous approach to th
 e delivery of improved animal welfare is required across Europe and that a
  ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to policy measures may not be appropriat
 e.  \n
LOCATION:Centre for Animal Welfare & Anthrozoology Seminar Room\, Veterina
 ry Medicine\, Department of
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