Completely revised, updated and with four new chapters on sustainability, new technologies, precision agriculture and the future of animal welfare. This book is edited by an outstanding world expert on animal welfare, it emphasizes throughout the importance of measuring conditions that compromise welfare, such as lameness, heat stress, body condition, and bruises during transport.The book combines scientific information with practical recommendations for use on commercial operations and reviews practical information on livestock handling, euthanasia, slaughter, pain relief, and assessments of abnormal behavior.

How do you define the quality of life of a farmed animal? This timely book addresses the complex and often controversial issues surrounding the assessment and improvement of farm animal welfare. Based on a large, multi-disciplinary EU funded research project called Welfare Quality, it discusses the relevance of science based welfare assessments and the importance of establishing a fruitful dialogue between science and society. An outline is given of the development of a workable welfare assessment system for cattle, pigs and chickens as well as practical ways of improving the animals' quality of life. This book synthesises the huge body of work carried out by the largest ever international network of scientists and stakeholders in Welfare Quality. It describes some of the obstacles encountered and their solution and why particular paths were chosen. It also clearly sets out what still needs to be done and presents selected strategies and technologies (automation, proxy indicators, targeting of risk factors, etc.) designed to ensure the continued improvement of welfare and its assessment. The book provides a valuable source of knowledge on farm animal welfare for social and animal scientists, students, teachers, policy makers, lobby groups and the animal industry.

"From the ethics of slaughtering farmed livestock to the practical guidelines that must be put in place to maximise animal welfare, this book combines scientific evidence with down-to-earth practical advice for government and private industry managers, veterinarians and animal welfare practitioners"--

The second edition of this book contains chapters that discuss the role of the stockperson in animal welfare, including attitudes, human-animal interactions, human and animal behaviour and improvement of human-animal interactions in animal production. This book is intended for those with an interest in human-animal interactions, including trainers, livestock farm managers, students and academics.

"The economic costs and benefits of farm animal production and sustainability versus improving climate change and animal welfare presents one of the most complex dilemmas in agriculture today. This book, by top global authors and experts, outlines the problem whilst making policy-relevant recommendations"--

By 2050 the world's population is projected to grow by one-third, reaching between 9 and 10 billion. With globalization and expected growth in global affluence, a substantial increase in per capita meat, dairy, and fish consumption is also anticipated. The demand for calories from animal products will nearly double, highlighting the critical importance of the world's animal agriculture system. Meeting the nutritional needs of this population and its demand for animal products will require a significant investment of resources as well as policy changes that are supportive of agricultural production. Ensuring sustainable agricultural growth will be essential to addressing this global challenge to food security. Critical Role of Animal Science Research in Food Security and Sustainability identifies areas of research and development, technology, and resource needs for research in the field of animal agriculture, both nationally and internationally. This report assesses the global demand for products of animal origin in 2050 within the framework of ensuring global food security; evaluates how climate change and natural resource constraints may impact the ability to meet future global demand for animal products in sustainable production systems; and identifies factors that may impact the ability of the United States to meet demand for animal products, including the need for trained human capital, product safety and quality, and effective communication and adoption of new knowledge, information, and technologies. The agricultural sector worldwide faces numerous daunting challenges that will require innovations, new technologies, and new ways of approaching agriculture if the food, feed, and fiber needs of the global population are to be met. The recommendations of Critical Role of Animal Science Research in Food Security and Sustainability will inform a new roadmap for animal science research to meet the challenges of sustainable animal production in the 21st century.

Updated and revised, this bestselling textbook continues to provide a broad introduction to the key topics in the welfare of animals both large and small, farm and companion, wild and zoo. It retains all the popular features of the previous editions with coverage of key issues such as ethics, animal pain and injury, health and disease, social conditions, and welfare dilemmas and problems. Importantly, it also offers practical advice for welfare assessment, with a full section dedicated to the implementation of solutions. With contributions from renowned international experts and a new editorial team, Animal Welfare, 3rd Edition is an essential resource for students and researchers in animal and veterinary sciences and other disciplines considering the science and practice of animal welfare, and for practitioners and decision-makers worldwide.