Animal welfare: A result of animal background and perception of its environment

Isabelle Veissier (1, 2) , Arnaud Aubert (3, 4) , Alain Boissy (1, 2)

1 UMRH - Unité Mixte de Recherche sur les Herbivores - UMR 1213
2 VAS - VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement
3 PRC - Physiologie de la reproduction et des comportements [Nouzilly]
4 PAVeA - Psychologie des âges de la vie et adaptation

Animal welfare is a growing issue in modern farming systems due to a perceived mismatch between animals’ actual environments and their natural habitats, acknowledgement that animals are sentient beings, and societal awareness not only that animal production matters but also that the production methods matter.[br/] Welfare implies that the biological needs of animals are fulfilled and, more importantly, that the animals feel “well.” What emotions animals can feel is now documented, and methods have been developed to assess how well an animal feels. The welfare of an individual depends on its living environment, genetics, and past experiences, with the result that each individual may perceive a triggering situation differently. Farming system design needs to evolve to encompass the welfare provided to animals based on actual living conditions and the animals’ background. Improvements have been proposed so that it is now possible to integrate animal welfare into farming conditions that meet both animal requirements and societal concerns.

Mots clés: animal welfare; cognition; emotion; genetic; past experience; stress; temperament

Domaines: Sciences agricoles

Isabelle Veissier, Arnaud Aubert, Alain Boissy. Animal welfare: A result of animal background and perception of its environment. Animal Frontiers, 2012, 2 (3), pp.7-15. ⟨10.2527/af.2012-0043⟩. ⟨hal-01190375⟩