The concept of animal welfare is concerned with the individual animal, the type of situation the animal is in, and how the animal experiences its situation. When animals have good welfare, they thrive. Well-being draws on interactions between health, environment, animal care, and the characteristics of the animal itself.
An often-used explanation of what good animal welfare is, can be found in the ‘Five Freedoms’ laid out by the Brambell Committee (1965):
- Freedom from Hunger and 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 in all situations.
- Freedom from Pain, Injury, and Disease: by working towards prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment of sick animals.
- Freedom from Fear and Distress: by ensuring that the animal has conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering.
- Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour: by providing sufficient space, proper facilities, and company of the animal’s own kind.
So on one hand, we must make ethical assessments, while on the other, we must use facts from research.
The subject of ethics addresses subjective values in relation to animal welfare. We can ask ourselves ‘What would our society consider to be a sufficient quality of life for animals?’ Another question is ‘How can we understand the concept of “quality of life” for animals specifically?’ How are animals affected by their surroundings and how do they experience their situation? We often try to describe the condition of an animal based on its mastery of the environment in which it lives. The level of welfare is described as the balance between positive and negative experiences. Based on such an understanding, we use the following definition of animal welfare:
“Animal welfare is the subjective experience of the individual of its psychological and physical condition as a result of its attempts to master its environment.”
Within biology, ‘mastery’ is defined as the mechanisms used by an individual in order to maintain control. An animal displaying normal behaviour for its kind, thus shows signs of good physical and mental health.
Nofence Grazing Technology has been developed with a focus on animal well-being. Therefore, it is vital that you are knowledgeable about your animals and take the time to learn how the technology works. Key points for achieving good animal welfare by using Nofence are:
- All adult animals in the herd should wear a collar.
- Become well-acquainted with our recommendations.
- Create Nofence boundaries that are easy for the animals to understand and follow our recommendations for the design of the Nofence pasture.
- Follow up on all electric pulses. You should take the time to analyse why goats are receiving electric pulses and take action. Actively use our online portal my.nofence.no to analyse grazing movements. Are there challenging restrictions, temptations, places outside the boundary where they enjoy dwelling, or are they just heading towards people? Perhaps a small adjustment of the boundary will suffice? Should the app notify you of multiple electric pulses, you should check that the equipment is fitted properly and is hanging correctly. If you suspect that the collar’s power supply is defective, you should take the equipment off the animal before testing its functionality.
- Checking that the equipment is properly fitted to the animal and that it is hanging correctly.
- Pay close attention to any chafing. Should the coat of the animal wear away completely, the collar must be removed to avoid wounds. If an open wound develops, it may be a long time before the animal can wear the collar again. A veterinarian should be consulted in the event of an open wound.
