9.1: Animal Well-Being Frameworks

Animal welfare refers to the physical and psychological well-being of animals as they serve human needs, encompassing proper nutrition, housing, medical care, and freedom from unnecessary suffering. Two primary models are used to define and measure animal welfare.

Developed by the UK's Farm Animal Welfare Council (1965), the Five Freedoms outline the minimum requirements for animal care and serve as the foundation of modern welfare science. This classic framework outlines the minimum standards for animal care:

• Freedom from hunger and thirst: Access to fresh water and a diet that maintains health and vigor.
• Freedom from discomfort: An appropriate environment, including shelter and a resting area.
• Freedom from pain, injury, or disease: Prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
• Freedom to express normal behavior: Sufficient space, proper facilities, and the company of the animal's own kind.
• Freedom from fear and distress: Conditions that avoid mental suffering.

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These principles were later refined by the Five Domains Model, first proposed by Mellor and Reid (1994) and expanded through 2020. This model, developed as a more comprehensive assessment tool, links physical states to mental experiences.

• Domain 1: Nutrition: Focuses on water/food intake and quality.
• Domain 2: Environment: Considers thermal, physical, and atmospheric challenges.
• Domain 3: Health: Accounts for the presence or absence of disease and injury.
• Domain 4: Behavior: Ability to interact with the environment, other animals, and humans.
• Domain 5: Mental State: The overall welfare state resulting from the first four domains (e.g., thirst, hunger, anxiety, or comfort)

The Five Domains framework emphasizes both reducing suffering and promoting positive experiences, incorporating positive welfare states and human-animal interactions into its assessment.

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