#81 – Cynthia Schuck on Quantifying Animal Welfare
Nov 21, 2024
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Dr. Cynthia Schuck-Paim, Scientific Director of the Welfare Footprint Project, dives into the intricate world of animal welfare. She discusses surprising questions like whether all animals feel pain, and how various species perceive time differently. Cynthia compares the welfare of fish farming with that of poultry, revealing the complexities of animal suffering. Additionally, she highlights the importance of positive experiences in enhancing the lives of farmed animals and advocates for transparency and innovative metrics to improve welfare practices.
Quantifying animal welfare through the Welfare Footprint Project aims to create a standardized metric for cross-species welfare comparisons.
The relationship between cognition and emotional experiences in animals reveals that low cognitive capacity does not preclude the ability to feel pain.
Improving animal welfare is crucial not only for ethical practices but also for reducing the risk of zoonotic diseases affecting human health.
Deep dives
Cognitive and Hedonic Capacity in Animals
The relationship between cognitive capacity and hedonic capacity in animals is not straightforward; it is not necessarily linear. Animals with low cognitive capacity can still learn to experience and respond to good or bad sensations. There was a significant increase in hedonic capacity early in evolutionary history, suggesting that feelings were initially adaptive for survival. As cognition evolved, it primarily served to aid in decision-making regarding these sensations rather than intensifying them.
Quantifying Animal Welfare
Developing a method to quantify animal welfare helps compare the welfare impacts of various animal products. Traditional welfare standards often focus on qualitative measures specific to certain species or farming conditions, making comparisons difficult. The Welfare Footprint Project aims to establish meaningful, quantitative metrics to assess the welfare burdens on animals in a cross-comparable manner. By creating a common metric, the project assists in evaluating the moral costs connected to different animal welfare practices.
Challenges in Measuring Welfare Impacts
A major hurdle in creating accurate welfare assessments is the lack of universally applicable methods to compare welfare burdens across species. While there are existing welfare assessment models designed for specific species or contexts, these typically do not provide a cumulative measurement that allows for comparison. The project seeks to address this gap by introducing a more integrative approach that quantifies additional pain and suffering, accommodating various farming practices and conditions. This is essential for making informed decisions regarding policies and consumer choices.
Cumulative Pain in Animal Farming
The measure of cumulative pain considers the duration and intensity of negative experiences throughout an animal's life, encompassing any harmful afflictions or feelings of distress. By estimating the cumulative time animals spend in severe pain, researchers can quantify welfare impacts during various life stages. For instance, mapping the experiences of commercially raised egg-laying hens reveals significant psychological and physical pain sources, influencing decisions about farming practices. This approach brings attention to previously overlooked welfare issues in animal production.
Fish Farming and Welfare Implications
Fish farming presents unique welfare challenges compared to terrestrial livestock, largely due to differences in species and farming practices. With high stocking densities, freshwater quality issues, and various health problems, farmed fish like salmon often endure significant pain throughout their lives. The project aims to quantify the welfare footprint of fish farming, enabling comparisons between species and informing better practices. Understanding the welfare implications of fish farming is paramount as the industry continues to expand.
Integrating Animal Welfare with Pandemic Risks
The intersection of animal welfare and global health highlights the potential for intensive farming practices to promote zoonotic diseases, drawing attention to the necessity of reform. Poor welfare conditions in farmed animals may lead to higher susceptibility to diseases, increasing the risk of pandemics in human populations. By addressing animal welfare through improved farming methods, policymakers can not only reduce suffering but also decrease human health risks associated with future pandemics. There is a growing recognition that addressing the welfare of farmed animals corresponds closely with enhancing public health.
Dr Cynthia Schuck-Paim is the Scientific Director of the Welfare Footprint Project, a scientific effort to quantify animal welfare to inform practice, policy, investing and purchasing decisions.
How to begin thinking about quantifying animal experiences in a cross-comparable way
Whether the ability to feel pain is unique to big brained animals, or more widespread in the tree of life
How fish farming compares to poultry and livestock farming
How worried to be about bird flu zoonosis
Whether different animal species experience time differently
Whether positive experiences like joy could make life worth living for some farmed animals
How animal welfare advocates can learn from anti-corruption nonprofits
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