Farm Animal Welfare

In terms of sheer numbers involved, livestock farming probably represents one of the largest areas of concern for animal welfare.

At ASWA we care deeply about the welfare of farm animals.  We believe that animals are sentient beings and that while they continue to be farmed for meat, eggs or dairy they should always have access to fresh air and water and be able to exercise freely and exhibit natural behaviour. Pigs should be able to wallow in mud, chickens should be able to dust bathe and cattle should have access to grazing.

Sadly, as farming becomes more industrialised, many farm animals are denied the ability to follow natural behaviours.  Often, infants are removed from their mothers at a very young age (particularly in the dairy industry and intensive pig farming) which is a cause for much distress as the mother/infant bond which is particularly strong in mammals is broken prematurely.

We are also very concerned about recent abuses highlighted by undercover film footage in some of our abattoirs and are also committed to supporting an end to all Live Exports of farm animals abroad.

Due to these welfare concerns, many of our supporters choose to eschew meat and dairy products and follow a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Here at ASWA we recognise that opinions about this will vary and therefore try to accommodate a range of views amongst our members. We do however support the work of many excellent secular organisations such as Compassion in World Farming, Farms not Factories, Animal Aid, Viva!, Hillside Animal Sanctuary and Animal Angels.  We encourage our members to visit the websites shown below and support the excellent campaigns for the improvement of farm animal welfare both here in the UK and abroad.

Compassion in World Farming – https://www.ciwf.org.uk
Farms not Factories – http://farmsnotfactories.org
Animal Aid – https://www.animalaid.org.uk
Viva! – https://www.viva.org.uk
Hillside Animal Sanctuary – http://www.hillside.org.uk
Animals Angels – http://www.animals-angels.com