Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy
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Managing Well-Being
No full textWellBeing News has published articles on the challenges of measuring human well-being and reported on the growing number of organizations involved in such efforts. One recently established organization is the Happier Lives Institute, founded in 2019 and based in Oxford (UK), to explore the most cost-effective ways to make lives happier. A recent blog (16 August 2022) presents an opportunity for interested readers to explore some of the innovative ideas and approaches adopted by the Institute (for example, the blog discusses the development of a new standardized measure – the Wellby or Well-being-adjusted life year)
Local Action For Animals As A Stepping Stone To State Protections
No full textMunicipal ordinances can be an effective way to create animal protection laws at the local level, and could lead to great success at the state level. Passing laws at the local level allows people to help animals in their communities, while providing a model for other cities and jurisdictions. Local laws can also create momentum for statewide initiatives, which demonstrates a state’s strong commitment to protecting animals.
Legislation is a key avenue animal advocates use to effect change at scale, but there is not much research about how to choose tractable issues and lobby for them successfully. The goal of this project was to look at whether local laws have laid the groundwork for laws at the state level of government, as a potential avenue for change. This study aimed to determine whether there is evidence that local animal laws have been or could influence state laws. And secondarily, whether case law has influenced state legislation.
To this end, we reviewed legal materials relating to animal welfare in the United States. The scope of this review included legislation and case law from the past twenty years, related to a range of animal welfare topics. Our primary focus was on farmed animal issues, but with consideration given to other issues that are similar and potentially generalizable. Our goals were to identify any trends and provide recommendations to advocates based on previous attempts to broaden the scope of animal welfare laws
Factory Farming Who Benefits? How a ruinous system is kept afloat?
No full textFactory farming – industrial livestock production – is a key driver of multiple harms. Its crowded, stressful conditions can lead to the emergence, spread and amplification of pathogens, including zoonoses. It heightens the risk of further pandemics. It is dependent on the routine use of antimicrobials. Its huge demand for cereals and soy as animal feed leads to soil degradation, overuse and pollution of water, air pollution, biodiversity loss and deforestation. It places several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals out of reach and contributes to making it difficult to meeting the Paris Climate Agreement targets. How did we get to the point where factory farming so dominates global animal agriculture?
This report examines a number of self-serving myths that help perpetuate factory farming. It then looks at the big input providers whose profitability is dependent on continuing industrial animal agriculture practices
Aquaculture in Africa: Aquatic Animal Welfare, Impact on the Environment and the Sustainability of the Sector
No full textThe African aquaculture sector recorded the fastest growth in the world between 2006-2018, averaging 10% or more, and is expected to partially fill the growing fish supply-demand gap up to 2063. In 2018, there were about 1.2 million aquafarmers across the continent, an increase from 920 thousand in 2014. According to the African Development Bank, expansion of aquaculture in Africa is hampered by the overwhelming predominance of tilapia farming, which relies heavily on the production of fingerlings from a limited number of genetically improved strains that are resistant to the many diseases affecting this species, and on the production of feed that is still largely imported . The Bank cited projections that African aquaculture would grow far more dramatically if it rapidly diversified, rather than remaining dominated by tilapia farming. The review also noted that the sector now generates products not only for direct consumption, but also used in food processing, feed, fuels, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and a variety of other industrial products
Attitudes Towards Chickens & Fishes: A Study Of Brazil, Canada, China, & India
No full textAcross the world, advocates are working to improve the welfare of animals and to reduce the consumption of animal products. A key front in this work is addressing the consumption of small-bodied animals — namely chickens and fishes — as they are consumed in the highest numbers, by several orders of magnitude. Reducing the consumption of chickens and fishes could result in billions of individuals being saved, and achieving that goal requires us to understand how consumers think of them.
Many of the countries we have surveyed in this line of research—which includes Brazil, Canada, China, India, and the United States—contribute in huge quantities to the enormous suffering of chickens and fishes. For example, China, the United States, and Brazil slaughtered more chickens than any other countries in 2018, with India not far behind. In terms of tons of fishes slaughtered, China ranked first in the world, while India was fourth and the U.S. was sixth. In total, the five countries considered in this research account for over 40% of the global chicken slaughter and more than a quarter of global fish slaughter.
Because of cultural differences across different regions, it is important that advocates understand the context in which they are working rather than assuming that lessons from one part of the world can be applied to audiences in another. Despite the massive quantities of chicken and fish slaughter committed by each of these countries, it is not necessarily the case that their residents share similar beliefs about these animals. By comparing the country-level findings of this study, we can observe similarities and differences in beliefs across countries. This information may be helpful for animal advocates working in their respective national contexts, or in an international context
Plastics – Challenges for Life Below Water and Life on Land
No full textThe Challenge
The plastics revolution launched in the 1950s has led to the cumulative production of 8,300 million tonnes (MT) of plastic products and vast quantities of plastic waste (6,300 MT). According to a Pew Trust report (pg. 25), around 59% of the plastic waste generated in 2016 is “managed” (that is recycled, incinerated, or placed in reasonably well-managed landfills)[1]. The remaining plastic waste can be observed scattered across the globe. Some plastic (an estimated 3-5% annually) leaks into the world’s oceans, where it has become ubiquitous and is now a global environmental focal point. Plastic waste penetrates every marine habitat and is widely consumed by marine animals. Marine mammal and turtle entanglement in plastic debris, mainly discarded or lost fishing gear, has produced iconic images of the dangers of plastic pollution. Meanwhile, the effect of plastic waste on human health is still being debated, but it is clear that humans are consuming microplastics via seafood. Even more worrying, forecasts indicate that new plastic production (and the resulting waste) will double by 2040 if no action is taken
A framework for evaluating evidence of pain in animals
No full textCrump et al. define eight criteria indicating sentience in animals, with a focus on pain. Here, we point out the risk of false negative or false positive diagnoses of pain. Criteria of different levels of inclusivity are useful for using the precautionary principle in animal welfare considerations, and for more formal scientific evidence of pain. We suggest tightening the criteria -- from more general evidence of sentience to pain alone -- because crucial evidence for animal welfare decisions might otherwise be missed for animals subjected to invasive and injurious procedures
UNEP/EA.5/Res. 1; Resolution-Animal welfare-environment-sutainable development nexus
No full texthttps://www.wellbeingintlstudiesrepository.org/boocov/1024/thumbnail.jp
Revisiting Donald Griffin, founder of cognitive ethology
No full textDonald Griffin’s writings, beginning with The Question of Animal Awareness (1976), strove to persuade scientists to study the possibility of animal sentience, the basis of Rowan et al.’s efforts to promote animal well-being. Facing great hostility (but also some acceptance) for his ideas, Griffin initially avoided animal welfare advocacy, fearing it would further undermine his efforts to gain recognition of animal sentience. In later years, however, he began to ponder the ethical implications of animal sentience, intending to study wild elephants’ communication and social behavior to better understand their experienced life and apply it to improving conservation methods. As he recognized, ethical considerations require strategic prioritizing
Pain in Pleocyemata, but not in Dendrobranchiata?
No full textCrump et al.’s contribution to assessing whether decapods feel pain raises an important question: Is pain distributed unevenly across the order? The case for pain appears stronger in Pleocyemata than in Dendrobranchiata. Some studies report pain avoidance behaviors in Dendrobranchiata (Penaeidae) shrimp, but further studies are needed to determine whether the chemicals used are acting as analgesics to relieve pain, or as soporifics to reduce overall alertness. If the latter, the most farmed shrimp species may not require the same level of protection as crabs, crayfish, and lobsters