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The difference between animal rights and animal welfare, explained
Often used interchangeably, the terms ‘animal welfare’ and ‘animal rights’ are not the same thing. Animal welfare is often viewed as a step on the way to animal rights. That’s because animal welfare involves improving the conditions of the animals used by people, whereas animal rights calls for an end to that use altogether.
Let’s take a look at the differences between animal welfare and animal rights, and why they matter.
What is animal welfare?
Animal welfare can be viewed as either a means to an end, or an end itself. There are many people who believe that using animals – whether for food, entertainment, research, or otherwise – is perfectly acceptable, but that they should be treated well as they are used. There are others still who call for the improvement of animals’ treatment as a step toward a world with no human-caused animal suffering.
Both of these perspectives are advocating for animal welfare, but they simply have different end goals. Oftentimes, the two may find themselves working together in order to eliminate the worst animal suffering. At other times, the two parties can butt heads about what really constitutes animal welfare. For example, does keeping egg-laying hens in enriched cages constitute good welfare? We don’t think so. That’s why we’re pushing for cage-free.
What are examples of animal welfare issues?
Anytime humans are keeping, raising, or using animals, there are likely to be welfare issues. A welfare issue could be anything from a pet dog with an untreated ear infection, to a dairy cow with mastitis, or a piglet being castrated without pain management.
As the most heavily farmed land animal in the world, chickens suffer some of the most severe welfare violations. Chickens raised for meat endure overcrowding and often deadly health problems caused by selective breeding, stressful transportation, and inhumane slaughter methods.
Unfortunately, the story of welfare violations continues with egg-laying hens. In the UK, millions of birds are still spending their lives in cages, laying hundreds of eggs a year. The high production often breaks their bodies, leading to prolapsed cloacas and fractured keel bones.
Often overlooked, the lives of the fish many humans eat are filled with welfare issues that have been normalised as part of the food system. Wild-caught fish are often scooped out of the water with massive nets that crush those on the bottom. On fish farms, sea lice run rampant.
At The Humane League UK, we’re working to eliminate the worst suffering from the lives of the animals raised for food, including both chickens and fish.
What is animal rights?
Animal rights advocates believe that every animal deserves the right to live a life free from human control. This belief is most often applied to livestock farming, research, and entertainment.
Many who support animal rights also follow a vegan lifestyle, which means refraining from using or consuming animal products as much as is possible.
What are examples of animal rights?
Those who believe in animal rights may call themselves abolitionists, as they believe that all human use of animals should be abolished.
While in its purest form, animal abolitionism would include the elimination of everything from keeping cattle for beef to keeping dogs as pets, not every person who believes in animal rights would go as far as eliminating companion animals.
What's the difference between animal rights and animal welfare?
An easy way to remember the difference between the two is to think: ‘animal rights might ask for no animals to be kept in cages; animal welfare asks for bigger cages (possibly with an end goal of no cages at all!)’.
Within the animal rights movement, there are those who are advocating for total abolition, and those who are advocating for improved welfare for farmed animals.
At the Humane League UK, we believe that the animals raised for food deserve better lives while we move toward a more world free from animal abuse. That’s why we advocate for layer hens to be cage-free and slower-growing breeds for chickens raised for meat.
Why advocate for animal welfare?
Many supporters of animal rights argue that animal welfare ‘doesn’t do enough’ because it doesn’t demand a complete end to the use of animals for human benefit. For example, rather than asking major companies to stop selling animal products altogether, an animal welfare approach asks those companies to do better for the animals in its supply chain.
Of course, while animals are raised for food, suffering is inevitable. However, much as we may wish, animal farming will not end overnight, so we’re fighting to reduce the suffering of the animals in our food system as much as possible in the meantime.
This incremental approach is based on the understanding that gradual change in the right direction can make a huge difference. A world free from animal suffering starts with a world with less animal suffering.
Our work has already eliminated the worst suffering for millions of animals. We’ve pushed numerous companies to commit to cage-free, and gotten many others to pledge to reduce the suffering of broiler chickens.
What is the Animal Welfare Act?
In the UK, the welfare of vertebrate farmed animals is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This legislation makes it illegal to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal, and contains a duty of care; anyone responsible for an animal must take reasonable steps to make sure the animal's welfare needs are met.
Unfortunately, many of the worst animal welfare offences are considered perfectly legal, as they’re standard practices on farms. Regardless of species, when they’re slaughtered, animals endure unimaginable suffering.
What are the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare?
The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, written by Irish medical scientist Francis Brambell in 1965 and codified by the UK's Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1979, represent the bare minimum of living standards that animals in captivity should have.
Unfortunately, despite evidence to the contrary, animals on farms are rarely provided with access to all five freedoms listed below. A prime example of this are egg-laying hens. Rather than completely banning cages for hens, the UK only banned traditional battery cages. Enriched cages, which provide only marginally more space per bird, are still used to house millions of birds.
1. Freedom from thirst and hunger A recent investigation of a Lidl supplier farm found several chickens who had died of hunger and thirst.
2. Freedom from discomfort Despite gestation crates being banned, mother pigs are still housed in farrowing crates for weeks while their piglets are weaned.
3. Freedom from disease, pain, or injury In the case of farmed fish, the water quality is often so bad that they struggle to breathe.
4. Freedom from distress and fear Imagine how scared you would be if you were taken away from your mother at only a few hours old. This is the reality for calves within the dairy industry. Conditions that foster distress and fear are rampant in animal agriculture.
5. Freedom to engage in natural behaviours Across animal agriculture, sentient beings are being restricted from displaying their natural behaviours. For example, pigs are phenomenally intelligent creatures, but on pig farms, they are often housed in barren environments.
Simple actions to support animals
Taking a stand for animals, whether for their welfare or rights, doesn’t have to be complicated. There are many easy ways to make your voice heard. Join our email list to stay up-to-date with how you can support our campaigns to end the worst suffering on farms.
Petitions
Many petitions can be signed from the comfort of your own home, making them an excellent way to make your stance known and advocate for change.
Contacting companies
One tactic our campaigners use is approaching companies directly to advocate for the animals in their supply chain. Often, we need your help to attract and maintain their attention. That’s why we ask you to write to the companies we’re targeting.
Contacting MPs
Our representatives need to know how we expect farmed animals to be treated. That’s why it’s essential that we contact our Members of Parliament to make our voices heard.
What’s next?
Humans cause pain and suffering to animals, especially farmed animals. Better welfare is not only better for them - it’s better for us. Most people who still use animal products want to know they were produced by animals who had the highest welfare possible. Improving welfare standards gives us more peace of mind so we can advocate for a brighter, animal-cruelty-free future.
The conversation around animal welfare is constantly evolving, and it features many different viewpoints, even from advocates with the same ultimate goals. Still, this ongoing dialogue and the actions it inspires continue to pull our society toward better conditions for animals.
To stay up-to-date with our progress for the animals, sign up to receive our emails. We'll send you updates on our successes for animals and ways to get involved in our campaigns.
