Animal welfare organic understanding

Ethics also includes welfare quality what is good quality of life for an animal Therefore, when evaluating animal welfare issues in organic farming systems, we need to understand if particular organic values can be used to help guide decisions regarding appropriate quantity and quality of animal welfare. 

The third category is possibly in best accordance with organic values. Not only is natural behaviour important, but also food adapted to animal physiology and an environment similar to the biotope natural to the species are considered important. Studies of organic farmers suggest that they understand animal welfare primarily in terms of natural living (Lund ef al. 2002,2004b). 

The same view can be found in the organic farming movement (Lund 1996). The organic understanding of animal welfare differs somewhat from that commonly used in conventional farming, where the biological functioning approach is usually seen as the norm. Researchers also prefer the latter approach, since it makes it comparatively easy to quantify welfare states. 

Therefore to some extent, the criticism of animal welfare in organic farming may stem from a different understanding of what welfare is. While organic farmers may believe their chickens have good welfare because they have a (relatively) free life in an environment that allows them to perform most of their natural behaviours, the conventional farmer or scientist may focus on the risk of parasite infections, predator attacks, cannibalism and the homegrown feed with low content of certain essential amino acids. From their point of view, the welfare of these animals is being compromised. 

Lund, V. and Weary, D. 2004. Understanding animal behaviour and its use in organic animal husbandry. In Vaarst, M., Roderick, S., Lund, V. and Lockeretz, W. (eds) Animal Health and Welfare in Organic Agriculture. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, pp. 95-116. 

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