Large farms and animal welfare

On farm welfare is dependent on a variety of factors:

• stockmanship (both in terms of ratio to animals and level of expertise)
• the need for caring and responsible planning and management
• appropriate environmental design (enrichment, natural lighting, space allowances etc)
• considerate handling and transport
• an acceptable balance between time spent inside and time spent outside grazing; this translates into access to pasture between March and October - depending where you are in the country.

Good welfare on farm is dependent on a number of complex factors which is why it is difficult to make generalisations about the likely welfare on large-medium or small-scale farms. Such evaluations can be made when scientific and practical experience are applied on a case by case basis

We are opposed to ‘intensive’ farming – where the farming system and management prevent the performance of normal behaviours by the animals to such an extent that their welfare is compromised.