Gordon memorial lecture. Poultry welfare: science or subjectivity?

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior and welfare science.
• Ethology and affective neuroscience.

Background:

• Defining animal welfare scientifically is challenging, though public consensus exists.
• Historically, subjective feelings were accepted in science until Behaviorism, but are now re-established.
• Animal welfare is increasingly understood as relating to subjective feelings rather than solely evolved protective needs.

Discussion:

• Subjective animal feelings are not directly measurable but can be indirectly assessed.
• Indirect evidence is crucial for scientific investigation in animal welfare debates.
• Methods for obtaining indirect evidence on animal feelings are essential for research.

Key Insights:

• Poultry experience various negative affective states like fear, pain, and frustration.
• Research is ongoing to understand poultry suffering and its causes.
• Emerging evidence suggests poultry may also experience positive affective states, like pleasure.

Outlook:

• Investigating poultry welfare requires an objective, scientific approach to their subjective feelings.
• Future research should continue to elucidate the range of poultry affective states and their triggers.
• Advancing the scientific understanding of animal sentience is critical for improving welfare standards.