Dealing with Ambivalence: Farmers' and Consumers' Perceptions of Animal Welfare in Livestock Breeding

The results of an empirical study intoperceptions of the treatment of farm animals inthe Netherlands are presented. A qualitativeapproach, based on in-depth interviews withmeat livestock farmers and consumers was chosenin order to assess motivations behindperceptions and to gain insight into the waypeople deal with possible discrepancies betweentheir perceptions and their daily practices.Perceptions are analyzed with the help of aframe of reference, which consists ofvalues, norms, convictions, interests, andknowledge.The perceptions of the interviewed farmersare quite consistent and without exceptionpositive: according to them, nothing is wrongwith animal welfare in livestock breeding. Theperceptions of the consumers we interviewed aremore divergent, but generally negative. Bothgroups show ambivalence as a result ofdiscrepancies between perceptions and behavior.Although the consumers share the impressionthat the living conditions of livestock animalsare far from optimal, most of them still buyand eat meat from the meat industry. Thefarmers believe the welfare of their animals isgood, but, as frequent defensive utterancesshow, they feel uncomfortable with expressed orunexpressed accusations of mistreating animals.The ways the respondents deal with thisambivalence were analysed by drawing ontheories of dissonance reduction and distancing devices.Catherine and Raphaël Larrère(Larrère and Larrère, 2000) argue thatanimal rearing is a hierarchical relationshipwhose rules are to be found in the fiction of adomestic contract. We argue that the questionis not whether there should be a domesticcontract, because such a contract seems alreadyaccepted. However, since values and normsdiffer widely, not only among meat livestockfarmers and consumers, but also amongconsumers, the question remains as to whosevalues and norms should form the basis of thedomestic contract.     

长江中游地区畜牧业生产现状及持续发展策略

长江中游地区年产猪肉１２５．９６万ｔ,鲜鱼７４．１２万ｔ,是我国重要的畜、禽、鱼养殖基地。依生态景观和畜牧业生产特点,可以分为平原湖区和丘陵岗地两种类型的畜牧业生产模式。目前,该地区畜牧业生产尚存在饲料粮严重短缺,畜牧结构不合理,饲料资源利用不充分和畜产品加工业落后等问题。     

Deep Ethology, Animal Rights, and the Great Ape/Animal Project: Resisting Speciesism and Expanding the Community of Equals

In this essay I argue that the evolutionary and comparative study of nonhuman animal (hereafter animal) cognition in a wide range of taxa by cognitive ethologists can readily inform discussions about animal protection and animal rights. However, while it is clear that there is a link between animal cognitive abilities and animal pain and suffering, I agree with Jeremy Bentham who claimed long ago the real question does not deal with whether individuals can think or reason but rather with whether or not individuals can suffer. One of my major goals will be to make the case that the time has come to expand. The Great Ape Project (GAP) to The Great Ape/Animal Project (GA/AP) and to take seriously the moral status and rights of all animals by presupposing that all individuals should be admitted into the Community of Equals. I also argue that individuals count and that it is essential to avoid being speciesist cognitivists; it really doesn't matter whether ‘dogs ape’ or whether ‘apes dog’ when taking into account the worlds of different individual animals. Narrow-minded primatocentrism and speciesism must be resisted in our studies of animal cognition and animal protection and rights. Line-drawing into ‘lower’ and ‘higher’ species is a misleading speciesist practice that should be vigorously resisted because not only is line-drawing bad biology but also because it can have disastrous consequences for how animals are viewed and treated. Speciesist line-drawing also ignores within species individual differences. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

呼兰县畜牧生态环境建设现状及其对策的研究

主要介绍呼兰县近几年畜牧生态环境建设中存在的问题,对主要问题进行科学分析,并提出相应的对策。     

底栖动物在哈素海水质评价中的应用

通过对哈素海1989年度丰、平水期7个样点底栖动物的采集调查,共鉴定出底栖动物34种(属),初步摸清了哈素海丰、平水期不同样点底栖动物群落结构特点及其数量变动情况,并根据调查所获得的生态学资料,分别应用Beck生物指数、Goodnight生物指数、Glcason生物指数及Shannon多样性指数对哈素海水质进行了生物学评价。     

基于农牧民生计资本的干旱区草地适应性管理——以准噶尔北部的富蕴县为例

草地适应性管理是有效解决我国“三牧”（牧业、牧区和牧民）问题的重要路径。论文以准噶尔北部的富蕴县为例,采用系统（分层）抽样、参与性农户评估方法开展农牧户调查,建立生计资本量化指标体系及系统耦合协调度模型,测算农牧户生计资本及其耦合协调度。基于评估结果,提出干旱区草地适应性管理策略。研究表明：1）农牧民过度依赖天然草地放牧,普遍缺乏发展型生计,其生计资本水平低、生计转换能力弱、生计脆弱性高;2）农牧户间同质性较大,5项生计资本间属性分异明显,缺乏牧业合作经济组织,是研究区农牧户生计资本耦合协调度较低的主要原因;3）推进牧民生计多样化,转变牧业生产方式,发展牧区草产业,优化草地生产功能与生态功能的时空配置,有助于增强草地畜牧业人文-自然耦合系统的恢复力/弹性力。因此,加快培育新型职业牧民,加快发展现代草牧业,加快建设良好的农牧民组织,加强草地科学放牧管理,成为干旱区草地适应性管理的迫切任务。     

基于遥感估产的2006—2015年青海果洛与玉树地区草畜平衡分析

三江源区草地资源丰富,开展草畜平衡研究,可为草原环境保护和区域经济可持续发展提供决策支持。论文以青海省果洛藏族自治州和玉树藏族自治州作为研究区,基于产草量反演和载畜量计算,结合草畜平衡指数和草地载畜压力指数两大指标开展草畜平衡分析。结果表明：2006—2013年两自治州的平均草畜平衡指数自47.1%变化至-13.8%,草畜平衡状况整体在不断改善,2014—2015年超载情况有所加重;相比于果洛藏族自治州的年均草畜平衡指数为38.15%,玉树藏族自治州的年均草畜平衡指数为33.51%,草畜平衡状况较好。建议两地区有关部门加强规划和政策调控,按照“以草定畜”的原则加强草畜平衡精细化管理,并以大数据驱动草畜平衡决策支持信息化建设。     

Genetic Engineering and the Integrity of Animals

Genetic engineering evokes a number of objections that are not directed at the negative effects the technique might have on the health and welfare of the modified animals. The concept of animal integrity is often invoked to articulate these kind of objections. Moreover, in reaction to the advent of genetic engineering, the concept has been extended from the level of the individual animal to the level of the genome and of the species. However, the concept of animal integrity was not developed in the context of genetic engineering. Given this external origin, the aim of this paper is to critically examine the assumption that the concept of integrity, including its extensions to the level of the genome and the species, is suitable to articulate and justify moral objections more specifically directed at the genetic engineering of animals.     

The ethics and politics of the caged layer hen debate in New Zealand

Changes in attitudes toward animal welfare, with a greater emphasis on the importance of allowing animals to express normal patterns of behavior has led to an examination of the practice of keeping hens in battery cages. There is widespread scientific consensus that the conditions of confinement and the barren nature of battery cages severely restrict hens’ behavioral repertoire, and are thus detrimental to their welfare. The New Zealand Animal Welfare Act 1999, stipulates that animals must have “the opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour.” In spite of this provision, the New Zealand government has not acted in phasing out battery cages, arguing instead that there is insufficient evidence that welfare will be improved by a phase-out. There is evidence of strong industry pressure on the government, and the use of tactics common in policy considerations where changes are resisted by powerful interests. It is important that policy processes are better managed so that welfare changes are based on both public preferences and scientific knowledge, and ways of doing this are discussed.     

A New Framework for the Assessment of Animal Welfare: Integrating Existing Knowledge from a Practical Ethics Perspective

When making an assessment of animal welfare, it is important to take environmental (housing) or animal-based parameters into account. An alternative approach is to focus on the behavior and appearance of the animal, without making actual measurements or quantifying this. None of these tell the whole story. In this paper, we suggest that it is possible to find common ground between these (seemingly) diametrically opposed positions and argue that this may be the way to deal with the complexity of animal welfare. The model will have to be acceptable for the different parties that will be affected by it and real benefits for the animal should result from it. This will be the basis of a practical ethical approach. All this can be condensed into a model that essentially is made up out of three basic elements: the classical welfare analysis with an existing welfare assessment tool, an assessment of the stockholder, and an implementation of the Free Choice Profiling technique. This new framework does not pretend to be a different or better animal welfare matrix; it is intended to integrate existing knowledge and to provide a practical tool to improve animal welfare. It identifies whether there are welfare problems on a farm, if present whether these problems are caused by the housing system or the stockholder, and what can be done to improve the situation.