Animal Welfare vs. Animal Rights Objective 4.01-4.02: Define animal welfare and rights issues

Animal Welfare Humane treatment of animals Most animal producers and researchers believe in animal welfare support animal nutrition oppose cruel treatment

Animal Welfare Scientific information should be the basis for decisions, laws, and regulations related to animal welfare It is difficult to assess animal comfort because they do not talk and there are no universally accepted measures to use

Animal Welfare In Western society the idea is that humans are dominant creations and have the right to dominate other creatures In Eastern society, people view humans as equal to other species and therefore feel they should not be allowed to harm any animals

http://www.intellasia.net/news/articles/society/111272560.shtml In the picture above Cambodians perform a ritual for a “holy cow” that had died. Cambodians and many other cultures worship cows in hopes for good luck, hope and prosperity.

Indian culture believes that cows are sacred Indian culture believes that cows are sacred. They go as far as worshipping cows and treating them better than themselves. They also allow cows to defecate in their homes in order to be blessed.

Animal Welfare With increased urbanization many people have not been directly involved with agriculture These people are more likely to lean towards the idea of animal rights People can be biased if they have never experienced life with animals People typically believe the views given to them by their parents

This vs. That http://charlottelawlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/charlotte.jpg http://www.thetinylife.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/cow.jpg

Animal Rights Animal should not be used by humans The issues of animal welfare and animal rights date back thousands of years to the ancient Greeks Sometimes controversial such as PETA, etc…

Animal Rights Believe that animals should not be used by humans for any reason Vegetarians Vegans Activists Animals are equal to humans and should be treated that way http://www.petakillsanimals.com/pressRelease_detail.cfm?id=129

Animal Rights Many animals rights groups believe they are doing the right thing but aren’t considering the history between animals and humans Some animal rights activists don’t realize the difference between welfare and rights and may actually be more on the side of Animal Welfare

Companion Animals--Pets 6 to 8 Million Dogs and Cats: Every year, 6 to 8 million dogs and cats enter shelters, and 3 to 4 million shelter dogs and cats are killed. 80 Percent of Puppies: Most pet store puppies come from puppy mills

Activists charges producers: Pumping drugs into animals Undue stress on the animals Confinement jeopardizes animal and human health Raising animals in pens and crates is cruel treatment

Activists charges, continued… Eating meat and eggs is unhealthy Drinking milk is unhealthy Grain fed to livestock should be used to feed starving people around the world Using a growth-promoting hormone is cruel to animals Produces meat that is not safe for humans to eat

Producers response to overcrowding... Most producers won't overcrowd because it is very unprofitable Animals must be kept reasonably comfortable Animals are kept well fed to assure a productive growth or a profitable level of milk production Overcrowding reduces rate of gain http://www.agednet.com

Producers response to drugs and antibiotics... All drugs that are used for livestock are regulated by the federal government Regulations keep food safe for U.S. consumers All animal health products are thoroughly tested and must be approved by FDA On average, it takes 11 years to bring an animal pharmaceutical to the market Only one in about 7,500 chemicals tested are ever approved http://www.agednet.com

Producers response to growth hormones... Increase feed efficiency which reduces food costs Improve the ratio of meat to fat Products are generally estrogen-like substances Estrogen is a natural substance There is more estrogen in a cup of green beans than in a comparable amount of beef from an implanted steer. http://www.agednet.com

What producers are doing... Support and promote human treatment of animals Do all they can to make sure animals are not mistreated Keep public and media well informed on what they are doing to protect the welfare of their animals

What does it mean to be treated humanely? That means animals are well fed have adequate water space shelter kept healthy and comfortable