Animal Welfare forms an essential part of our “From Farm to Fork” project. It can be defined as a complete state of well-being, in which animals live in harmony with their environment. (Broom, 1986)
Animal Welfare was given importance in scientific and legal terms after the Brambell Report in 1965, which was commissioned by the British government and which announced, for the first time, the following Five Freedoms for the welfare of farmed animals:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst and from poor nutrition.
- Freedom to have comfortable living conditions.
- Freedom from pain, injury and disease.
- Freedom for animals to express their natural behaviour
- Freedom from fear and distress.
By guaranteeing these five freedoms, animals can become ill less frequently, produce the expected amount and reproduce at the right time according to their genetic potential and to the way in which they are managed.
One of the main priorities of Animal Welfare is the prevention of disease, related to farm management and its hygiene and sanitary conditions. All the structures involved should be easy-to-clean and disinfect.
If we respect the freedoms above and they are applied in conditions of adequate housing, our livestock will fulfill their genetic potential, leaving us amazed by their capacity for production.