Animal Welfare

A concept and system that guarantees animals' physical and mental health and the expression of their natural behaviors in the process of human use and management of animals.

Animal Welfare

Overview

Animal welfare is the concept that humans must ensure that animals remain physically and mentally healthy throughout the entire process of breeding, using, and managing them. It is distinctive in that it goes beyond mere survival and disease prevention to require an environment in which animals can express their natural behaviors, minimize pain and stress, and enjoy positive experiences. Unlike animal rights, which denies the use of animals itself, animal welfare is closer to a practical and institutional approach that presupposes use and seeks to improve its conditions and standards.

Main Content

Formation and History of the Concept

  • In 1964, British writer Ruth Harrison's Animal Machines exposed the realities of factory farming and sparked social discussion.
  • In 1965, the Brambell Report in the UK presented the minimum conditions animals should enjoy and laid the prototype for the "Five Freedoms."
  • In 1979, the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) officially established these as the "Five Freedoms."
  • Since the 2000s, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE) has adopted animal welfare standards as international standards, and they have been reflected in national legislation.

The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst

2. Freedom from discomfort

3. Freedom from pain, injury, and disease

4. Freedom to express normal behavior

5. Freedom from fear and pain

Recently, going a step further, the concept of "positive welfare"—providing positive experiences such as pleasure, satisfaction, and exploration beyond merely eliminating pain—has been emphasized.

Farm Animals

In industrial livestock farming, narrow battery cages, overcrowded breeding, early weaning, forced molting, and long-distance transport are major issues. The European Union banned the use of battery cages for laying hens in 2012, and several countries have declared cage-free policies. At the consumer level, animal-welfare-certified eggs, pasture-raised and grass-fed livestock products, and cage-free labels are spreading, and this is being combined with corporate ESG disclosure and supply chain management issues.

Laboratory Animals

The 3R principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) have become an international standard. In the long term, alternative testing methods such as organ-on-a-chip, organoids, and AI-based toxicity prediction models are expanding, and the United States and the EU have reformed their systems to ease mandatory animal testing in drug development.

Companion Animals

Breeding environments and care responsibilities, the occurrence and protection of abandoned animals, companion animal registration systems, stronger punishment for animal abuse, and licensing systems for animal sales and breeding businesses are key agendas. Recently, discussions have expanded to emotional welfare, including care for elderly animals, correction of behavioral problems, and animal-assisted therapy.

Exhibition/Performance Animals and Wild Animals

Zoo and aquarium breeding environment standards, regulation of circuses and dolphin shows, wild animal mobility and habitat conservation, and roadkill and poaching issues are also included in the scope of animal welfare.

Legal Systems and International Standards

  • UK: Animal Protection Act 1911, Animal Welfare Act 2006
  • EU: farm animal welfare directives and discussions on a full-scale revision of animal welfare
  • South Korea: discussions on reorganizing the animal welfare law system after the enactment of the Animal Protection Act in 1991, operation of the animal protection management system, animal welfare certification system, and stronger punishment for animal abuse
  • International organizations: WOAH animal welfare standards, ISO/TS 34700, GLOBALG.A.P. and other certification systems

Latest Trends

  • Animal welfare has been incorporated as a key indicator in ESG and sustainability disclosure. With the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (CSRD) and supply chain due diligence regulations, corporate procurement standards for livestock products are trending toward further strengthening.
  • Centered on the United States and EU, the expansion of alternative methods to animal testing and the introduction of AI-based safety prediction models are accelerating.
  • In South Korea as well, amendments to the Animal Protection Act are reorganizing regulations related to punishment for abuse, management of dangerous dogs, licensing systems for animal sales and production businesses, and companion animals.
  • The growth of the cultivated meat and alternative protein industries is spreading in conjunction with discussions on farm animal welfare.
  • As part of the response to the climate crisis, the greenhouse gas emissions problem of livestock farming is being combined with discussions on animal welfare and sustainable livestock farming.
  • With the era of ten million pet-owning households, the pet food, pet tech, and animal medical markets are growing rapidly, while institutional improvements such as the abandoned animal problem and animal registration and insurance are proceeding in parallel.

Related Topics

  • [[Animal rights]]
  • [[Animal Protection Act]]
  • [[Factory farming]]
  • [[Companion animals]]
  • [[Animal testing]]
  • [[ESG]]