British farming methods need reform to match high animal welfare standards
4 min read
What do we mean by animal welfare? And what does the British public want for farmed animals?
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation has published a landmark report: Farm Animal Welfare in the UK: What Does the British Public Want? The report documents a vast welfare gap between what the British public demands as citizens and consumers, and the realities of UK farming industry methods of production and farming practices.
Ultimately, we call for reform of UK farming methods of production and husbandry practices to better align with scientific evidence on animal welfare and the views of the British public.
Indeed, perhaps the clearest outcome from today’s report is evidence the British public strongly support high animal welfare standards. A 2022 YouGov poll found 71 per cent of the British public would like the UK government to pass more laws to improve animal welfare. Meanwhile a 2018 YouGov poll found 82 per cent support UK farmers to receive government subsidies for animal welfare.
Over 70 per cent of intensively reared growing pigs have their tails amputated to prevent tail biting
It is also clear the British public is opposed to more intensive, industrial, or “factory” farming systems. A 2020 YouGov poll found 88 per cent of the British public believe cages for farmed animals to be cruel, and 77 per cent support a complete ban on the use of cages for farmed animals. But despite the British public’s longstanding support for high welfare standards, 70-80 per cent of farmed animals are reared intensively. And intensive farming systems are associated with widespread and severe welfare problems for millions of sentient farmed animals.
We see this time and again in the way our animals are currently reared. Over 25 per cent of chickens (250 million birds annually) reared for meat consumption suffer from painful lameness. Around 60 per cent of breeding sows (200,000 mother pigs) in the UK are kept indoors. Almost all are severely confined in farrowing crates for five weeks each litter, for 2-3 litters per year, or 22 per cent of their breeding lives. Around 30 per cent (16 million hens) of the national laying flock are kept in cages throughout their laying period.
Farrowing crates for pigs and cages for laying hens prevent highly motivated natural and normal behaviours. This leads to acute and chronic stresses, abnormal behaviours, and prolonged suffering. Approximately 77 per cent of growing pigs are reared intensively indoors. Up to 20 per cent of dairy cows are housed indoors with no access to pasture throughout the year.
Mutilations are procedures performed to prevent aggression between farmed animals. Over 70 per cent of intensively reared growing pigs have their tails amputated to prevent tail biting. Almost all laying hens have their beaks trimmed to reduce feather pecking. Tail biting and feather pecking are abnormal behaviours caused by keeping pigs and chickens in substandard conditions. Mutilations are rarely performed with anaesthesia or pain relief.
We believe the British public is correct to believe that rearing farmed animals in more extensive, natural, and often outdoor environments, is fundamental for their welfare needs. Such environments permit farmed animals to perform highly motivated natural and normal behaviours. It is no coincidence almost all pigs reared indoors have their tails amputated. Or that hens kept in cages have their beaks trimmed. Or that almost all indoor sows are kept in farrowing crates.
Indeed, there is a growing consensus about the harms of intensive livestock farming. The British Veterinary Association food procurement policy states that eggs, chicken meat, and pig meat should be free range and RSPCA Assured wherever possible. The Government’s Animal Health and Welfare Pathway includes the Better Chicken Commitment to reduce lameness in chickens reared for meat, and phasing out farrowing crates for pigs and cages for laying hens in its priority areas.
The RSPCA Assured scheme can serve as a useful blueprint for government policy to aim for. As the leading accreditation scheme for animal welfare in the UK, standards are based on scientific research and developed to be commercially viable in consultation with veterinary surgeons and the farming industry. Given the prohibition of cages and mutilations, and the promotion of more extensive and outdoor conditions, the standards broadly overlap with British public opinion.
Governments should use all policy levers to affect a transition to more extensive farming systems, which is both more consistent with public opinion, and better for the billions of farmed animals kept in them. The British public desires high welfare standards for farmed animals, it is high time we listened.
Dr Steven McCulloch, senior lecturer in human animal studies at the University of Winchester
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