28 Jul A Word on Sentience
A couple of years ago, the Victorian Government released the state’s first ever Animal Welfare Action Plan which recognised the sentience of animals, acknowledging that animals experience sensations such as pleasure, comfort, fear and pain. Some farming groups were somewhat alarmed about this ‘new’ word entering Government policy. But let’s think through this a little deeper….
Although the Australian Dairy Industry has not used the word ‘sentience’, it has been operating under the principles of sentience for years. Adoption of the five freedoms and the endorsement of the existing State welfare legislation acknowledge the elements of sentience and initiatives have prioritised a number of actions that recognise that animals feel pain.
Many older farming colleagues have told me:
‘if we look after them (the animals) they will look after us’
This fair contract has, for many, enabled them to survive the rigours and shifting financial fortunes of primary production for decades. This contract has also had little to do with the laws that farmers were obliged to follow, and everything to do with recognising and addressing the variety of needs of their animals. However, the last 50 years have seen massive changes in social and ethical standards, both in Australia and internationally, as a result we now need to show evidence of how we care for our animals. To reconnect back to the consumer, without whose support we cannot survive.
The meaning of sentience
The word sentience is not new, it is currently used internationally and has a long history of use. In 1997, in the Treaty of Amsterdam, the European Union agreed to recognise animals as ‘sentient beings’ under European law.[i]
Sentience:
- Refers to the subjective experiences with an attractive or aversive quality, such as experiences of pain, suffering, pleasure, frustration, anxiety, fear, happiness and joy (Singer 1975; Varner 2012).[ii][iii]
- Or to the ability of animals to experience pleasurable states such as joy, and aversive states such as pain and fear.[iv]
- Sentience is the ability to perceive one’s environment, and experience sensations such as pain and suffering, or pleasure and comfort (as used in the State Governments website)
If we consider our existing welfare legislation for animals, we can see, that whilst sentience may be a new word, the concept is certainly not new.
The development of animal welfare standards and guidelines are an ongoing process of engagement (MLA, ADF, Dairy Australia, ALFA, RSPCA, Cattle Council of Australia, and state governments), legislation, implementation and review. And will continue to be so. Welfare standards reflect available scientific knowledge, current practice and community expectations. These standards have been used in the formation of the animal health monitoring programs and nearly all aspects of these Standards and Guidelines originate from the central premise that animals can and do experience states such as pain, fear and joy. These welfare standards are also consistent with the Five Freedoms originally by the Farm Animal Welfare Council in the UK in 1967, which again acknowledges animal characteristics aligning the interpretation of sentience. The five freedoms were first endorsed in 2005 in the Australian National Dairy Industry Animal Welfare Strategy.
- Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour
- Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment
- Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
- Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering
An excerpt from the first OIE Global Animal Welfare Strategy (adopted by 180 member countries in May 2017), also references the complexity and inter-relatedness of animal welfare in today’s society.
Animal welfare is a complex, multifaceted, international and domestic public policy issue with scientific, ethical, economic, legal, religious and cultural dimensions plus important trade policy implications. It is a responsibility that must be shared between governments, communities, the people who own, care for and use animals, civil society, educational institutions, veterinarians and scientists. Mutual recognition and constructive engagement among parties are necessary to achieve sustained improvements to animal welfare.
In summary
While our current animal welfare practices may be world class, our ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act’ is also 30 years old. Animal Welfare Victoria’s Animal Welfare Action Plan is being developed to update this which will recognise animals as sentient beings, in my opinion an accurate and appropriate use of the word.
As a farmer, I find the dynamic and evolving societal expectations about how food is produced confronting. It is a constant battle to find a margin of return on my investments or to allow capital investment to improve welfare and productivity. For some farmers who, at times, struggle to put food in front of their families, it is difficult to respond with an open approach to change their practices when the perception is that there will not be any tangible return on investment.
As a veterinarian, I see how welfare is intricately linked to animal health. I also see great variation in farmer husbandry capability, antibiotic use and welfare outcomes on farms, and have rising concerns of practices on some farms; some small, some large, some corporate and some organic farms. I see the need for enhanced engagement with extension and customised training programs with these farms. I also expect regulators to make changes to allow easier access to pain relief or anaesthesia for wider uptake of pain control for routine husbandry procedures.
As a scientist, I understand that whilst we need to continue to fund research into objective measurements of welfare, I respect that science cannot altogether dictate our animal welfare responsibilities and that sometimes value judgments, or a consensus ethic are required.
As someone assisting with the development of enhanced animal health and welfare monitoring programs, I feel confident of the contributions across the supply chain and the efforts to voluntarily develop programs to demonstrate good practices on our dairy farms, whilst respecting that this will be a significant change to how farmers’ report their farm practices.
As a consumer, I want animal industries to act collaboratively, creatively and voluntarily to make incremental improvements to animal husbandry and welfare using skilled practitioners to ensure that primary producer margins are maintained and improved. Further, I expect primary industries to enter into open discussion with an increasing number of groups, recognising that the dialogue is no longer the domain of animal liberationist movement but rather, mainstream concern and interest.
As someone who has awareness and visibility along the value chain, I accept the growing and unbreakable contract between producers and consumers and understand that if we do not invest and continue to adapt to enhance our husbandry that we risk losing our autonomy, our reputation or worse, our markets.
Mark Humphris
[i] http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:11997D/TXT&qid=1517023640353&from=EN
[ii] Singer,P (1975) Animal Liberation. New York Avon Books
[iii] Varner, G.E. (2012) Person hood, ethics and animal cognition: Situating animals in Hare’s Two-Level Utilitarianism
[iv] Broom, D.M. Dis. Aquat. Org. 2007, 75, 99–108