âUnnecessary sufferingâ as a concept in animal welfare legislation and standards

F. Lundmark; C. Berg; H. RÃ¶cklinsberg

âUnnecessary sufferingâ as a concept in animal welfare legislation and standards

In: The ethics of consumption

Authors:

F. Lundmark

F. Lundmark ¹Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 234, 53223 Skara, Sweden

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C. Berg

C. Berg ¹Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 234, 53223 Skara, Sweden

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, and

H. RÃ¶cklinsberg

H. RÃ¶cklinsberg ²Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7068, 75007 Uppsala, Sweden; frida.lundmark@slu.se

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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 114â119

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3920/9789086867844_020

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The project âLegal systems and ethical values behind the official and the stakeholder-based animal welfare controlâ covers studies of farm animal welfare legislation and ten private animal welfare standards from four European countries. Their expressed aim of prevention of suffering is in focus. Many pieces of legislation stating the aim of preventing âunnecessary sufferingâ lack a clear distinction between âunnecessaryâ and ânecessaryâ calling for definitions, as it is difficult to decide where to draw the line in actual farming, or for a citizen to interpret what is regarded acceptable by the legislator. Several interpretations are possible, e.g. the intensity and duration of the suffering, the intention behind the act, the fulfillment of human interests and the animalsâ interests. Furthermore, countries differ regarding what species are legally protected and at what level. We will further discuss ethical values behind such differences. Painful management procedures are legal in many countries, and hence regarded as ânecessary sufferingâ in some â but not all â countries. As private standards are developed to meet consumer demands for a stricter interpretation of âunnecessaryâ it is important to clarify inherent values. We tentatively argue that besides utilitarian ethical thinking duty, contractarian and/or virtue ethical thinking can be found in both legislation and private standards. If so, this mirrors consumer interest in an integrated and complex reasoning related to the concept of âunnecessary sufferingâ, a complexity that needs to be considered in forthcoming legislation.

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The ethics of consumption

The citizen, the market, and the law

E-Book ISBN:: 9789086867844

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 01 Nov 2013

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- Life Sciences

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âUnnecessary sufferingâ as a concept in animal welfare legislation and standards

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The ethics of consumption

The citizen, the market, and the law

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âUnnecessary sufferingâ as a concept in animal welfare legislation and standards