• Vasa-Hrana-Kokoske-Nosilje

Why is it important?

Five good reasons for caring about farm animal welfare

Animal welfare is connected to human quality of life because it represents an important factor of economic development, social well being and environmental protection. There is a lot of reasons for caring about animal welfare. We have grouped them in a following way:

  1. Sentience – animals are sentient being and can feel pain, suffering and distress like people. People have ethical obligation and duty to provide suitable living conditions that meet the needs of animals they keep.
  2. Food safety – animal welfare means production of healthy and safe animal based food products for the consumers.
  3. Increase in productivity – animal welfare means better growth, increased productivity and more successful reproduction of farm animals.
  4. Profit – animal welfare means better competitiveness, access to new markets and higher profits.
  5. Obligation – good welfare is a legal obligation of the animal’s owner or keeper in Serbia.

For these reasons animal welfare has recently gained more attention from consumers, producers, retailers and decision makers who work intensively to provide products made in line with higher standards of animal welfare.

Due to its importance, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) states that “animal welfare should not be treated as a separate issue but rather as a part of important societal goals to which it contributes such as food safety, human and animal health, environmental protection, workplace safety, rural development, gender equality and social justice.”