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The performance of farm animal assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

E Roe ,
H Buller  and
J Bull
E Roe
Affiliation:
School of Geography, University of Southampton, University Road, Southampton SO17 1BJ, UK
H Buller*
Affiliation:
School of Geography, University of Exeter, Amory, Rennes Drive, Exeter EX4 4JS, UK
J Bull
Affiliation:
Forskare, Centrum för Genusvetenskap, Box 634, 751 26 Uppsala, Sweden
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: H.Buller@Exeter.ac.uk
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Abstract

This paper argues that the current drive towards greater use of animal-based measures for welfare assessment raises important issues for how farm visits by welfare assessors are performed. As social scientists, we employ a number of contemporary social science ideas to offer a new approach to examining the practice and performance of farm animal assessment. We identify key findings from a recent study of contemporary farm assessment and speculate upon what some of the challenges of introducing animal-based measures may be. We conclude by arguing for a greater awareness of how sets of knowledge are made, circulated, practiced and become an integral component of the procedures, practices and discourses around farm animal welfare assessment in farm assurance.

Keywords

animal-based measuresanimal welfareassessmentassurance schemesfarm inspectionspractice
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 69 - 78
Copyright
© 2011 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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