PIGS & PROSPERITY ▶▶▶
The Five Domains model T
hose of you with at least some background in animal welfare are most likely familiar with the Five Freedoms of animal welfare. The Five Freedoms were developed from the Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1979, which listed basic provisions that should be made for farm animals. These provisions were:
• Freedom from hunger and thirst; • Freedom from discomfort; • Freedom from pain, injury or disease; • Freedom to express normal behaviour; and • Freedom from fear and distress. The Five Freedoms had and continue to have a major impact on animal welfare science, policy and education. They provided one of the first frameworks for assessing food ani- mal welfare and form the basis for much animal welfare legislation, codes of recom- mendation and assessment/audit programs to date. These freedoms are heavily used in the education of veterinary and animal science students and form the foundation of many food industry policies and statements, including from companies such as Costco and Walmart. But are these freedoms really the best means to assess animal welfare? Are they enough? Each freedom is individually necessary and sufficient as a framework for assessing animal welfare. However, as a whole, the Five Freedoms are interpreted differently from one individual to another, focus solely on eliminating negative aspects of welfare and do not place val- ue on ensuring positive aspects of welfare are experienced. Given the use of the term “freedom”, implementing the Five Freedoms suggests that we must eliminate any neg- ative experience for the animal (e.g. hunger or thirst) and establish somewhat of a zero tolerance policy to ensure good welfare. However, I would argue this is not very realistic. Animals will, at some time, experience hunger or thirst, sickness, and pain associated with that sickness; and their welfare will be temporarily impacted. So where do we go from here? Given these challenges, some of the industry is moving to transition away from the Five Freedoms and adopt frameworks that not only minimise negative experiences of welfare but promote positive welfare states. Initially developed in 1994 by Dr Mellor and Dr Reid, the Five Domains model more thoroughly and systematically assesses animal welfare through five incorporated domains: nutrition, physical environment, health, behavioural interactions and mental/affective states. This approach equally balances both the positive and negative wel- fare an animal can experience and attempts to provide a more objec- tive approach to assessing welfare for various species, settings and conditions. In 2021, Tyson Foods announced that they will transition to the Five Domains, and it appears that other food companies are also consider- ing such a move. We must wait to see if the long-standing Five Free- doms remains the foundational piece on which animal welfare policy, legislation and education rely, or, if a change to a new approach such as the Five Domains is upon us.
66 ▶ PIG PROGRESS | Volume 38, No. 3, 2022
Monique Pairis-Garcia Before joining North Carolina State University in 2019, Dr Monique Pairis-Garcia received her Doctor of Veterinary Medi- cine and Doctor of Philosophy degree from Iowa State Univer- sity with a focus in swine welfare and health. Her research inter- ests include pain management in livestock ani- mals.
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