Chapter 4 Animal Rights and Animal Welfare

Student Learning Objectives

• Identify ethics involved with animal production.• Discuss animal welfare and animal rights issues.• Identify important persons in the animals rights movement. • Debate the issues concerning animal rights and welfare. • Identify important dates and acts of legislation associated

with animal welfare.• Describe animals used for genetic engineering and

biotechnology.

Terms• Animal rights• Animal welfare• Biotechnology• Confinement systems• Ecoterriousm• Factory farming• Humanize • Intensive operations• Specieism • Unethical • vivisection• Cloning• Ethics• Genetic engineering

History: page 32

• Animal rights:• is the belief that animals have the same right to life and liberty as humans.• Animals should not be exploited• Animals should not be used for food, clothing, research, entertainment, etc. • Vegetarian Vs. Vegan

• Animal welfare:• is the belief that humans should provide animals with surroundings that

meet their needs while under their control.• Animals should be treated humanely (housing, nutrition, disease prevention,

handling, slaughter, etc)• Animals can be used for human purposes, but discomfort should be kept to a

minimum

History: page 32

• Factory Farming: industrialized production of livestock including poultry (egg and meat), swine, cattle (dairy and beef).

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TStN_kRMnZY• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XLrk0gTCiw• Pro Con

History• First anticruelty law: 1828 New york (page 33 • ASPCA: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to

Animals• First humane society• New York • Henry Bergh• Save horses and mules

• Animal Transportation Act: 1906• Humane Slaughter Act: 1958 amended in 1970s• Public Law 89-544 Laboratory Animal Welfare Act (AWA): 1966• Horse Protection Act: 1970

Animal Welfare Act • United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is

responsible for implementing regulations• USDA sets standards for care, handling, housing, feeding,

sanitation, ventilation, shelter, veterinary care• Covers four categories:

• 1. dog and cat breeders• 2. zoo and circuses and roadside menageries• 3. transportation of animals• 4. research facilities

Animal Rights Groups • Animal Liberation Front (ALF)

• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEkc70ztOrc

Current Issues: Do Animals have rights? Page 35

• Ethics: involve examination of moral issues to determine right from wrong when dealing with human character and conduct.

• Specieism: the belief that any use of animals by human reflects a bias that humans are superior to animals

• To believe that animals have the same rights as humans is to humanize them.

• Most people do agree on the fact that animals should be raised free from pain and suffering.

Current Issues in Animal Production Many practices that ensure the well-being of animals are not economically feasible to producers and consumers.

Facilities are set up to be profitable to the owners.

Many consumers are not willing to pay extra for meat that animal-friendly production facilities would bring.

Current Issues in Animal Production

Some major ethical issues involve the following:› Use of confinement and small living areas for animals.› Withholding of medical attention to decrease

production costs.› Slaughter of animals in view of other animals.› Selection of animals for rapid growth that can also

have other medical problems because of it.

Current issues in Animal Production

• Dehorning?

• Castration?

• De-beaking?

• Ear cropping?

Large Chicken Farm

Sows in crates

Should Animals Be Used for Food? Page 35

Should Animals Be Used for Experimentation? Page 36

Should Hunting and Trapping Be Allowed? Page 39

What is the difference between animal rights and animal welfare?

• Like any view, it is one that is made based on your knowledge and feelings about a situation.

• As the size of farms increases and the number of farmers decreases fewer and fewer people have the opportunity to see how animals are raised.

What is the difference between animal rights and animal welfare?

• The debate over what animals need has been long and is far from over. • Basically freedom from the following stresses are the focus of

discussions: thirst, hunger, malnutrition, discomfort, pain, injury, disease, and mental suffering.

What issues are involved with using animals for genetic engineering andbiotechnology?

Biotechnology is the application of biology to technology.

Often, biotechnology uses living cells and components to research advances in technology.

Many different processes are used and several debates stem from these uses.

The research done is used to benefit both animals and humans.

Genetic Engineering• Genetic engineering is the movement of genes from one cell to another.• Improvement of feeds and breeds are two benefits genetic engineering

will bring. • Manipulation of genetics has also brought about cloning of animals.

                                                                

Genetic Engineering• Cloning is creating exact duplicates of plants and animals. • Modification of animals has caused great controversy over moral and

spiritual grounds.

                                                                

Eight Cloned Cattle

Genetic Engineering• Many risks are involved with genetically

engineering animals. • Some risks include:

• Loss of genetic diversity could arise• Some modifications could have harmful

consequences that will not be detected right away

• Not foreseeing economic effects that could disturb the economy

• Use of animals to carry pathogens and infect humans could occur

Genetic Engineering andBiotechnology Continued:

• Many precautions are being made to regulate genetic engineering. • It is difficult to weigh advantages and disadvantages because this procedure

has not been around for very long.

Review / Summary• Identify ethics involved with animal production.• Discuss animal welfare and animal rights issues.• Describe animals used for genetic engineering and

biotechnology.