Management and Welfare of Farm Animals: The UFAW Farm Handbook

by John Webster (Editor)

Overview

Through successive editions, Management and Welfare of Farm Animals has gained international recognition as a classic introductory textbook for students of agriculture and veterinary science. Conceived by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW), the book has always sought to promote the humane treatment of livestock within the practical business context of modern farming.

Now fully revised and updated, this fifth edition remains the most comprehensive and accessible guide available. Three animal groups appear here for the first time (game birds, South American camelids, and ostriches), and a chapter on horses has also been restored. Throughout, the book offers clear advice for the humane management of all major farmed species in the primary context of large-scale food production.

However, this edition also takes full account of consumer demand (and legal requirements) for alternative farming methods and enhanced welfare standards, whether in conventional agriculture or the smallest of ‘hobby' farms. Brand new chapters reflect fresh understanding of welfare science, ethics, and the role of society in ensuring the best possible farm conditions. It remains an indispensable resource for students, and for all those seeking to promote animal welfare.

Published as a part of the prestigious Wiley-Blackwell – UFAW Animal Welfare series. UFAW, founded 1926, is an internationally recognised, independent, scientific and educational animal welfare charity. For full details of all titles available in the UFAW series, please visit www.wiley.com/go/ufaw.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118279403
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	11/18/2011
Series:	UFAW Animal Welfare , #9
Sold by:	JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	624
File size:	11 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

John Webster is Emeritus Professor of Animal Husbandry at the University of Bristol. Author of the widely acclaimed Animal Welfare: A Cool Eye Towards Eden and Animal Welfare: Limping Towards Eden, he is the founding father of the Bristol Animal Behaviour and Welfare Science group that has gathered evidence and pioneered the arguments necessary to achieve improved welfare standards for veal calves, broiler chickens, laying hens and dairy cows.

UFAW is an internationally recognised, independent, scientific and educational animal welfare charity concerned with improving knowledge and understanding of animals’ needs in order to promote high standards of welfare for farm, companion, laboratory, captive wild animals and those with which we interact in the wild.

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Table of Contents

Contributors.

Foreword.

Preface.

Acronyms and abbreviations.

1 Husbandry and Animal Welfare (John Webster).

2 Behaviour as an Indicator of Animal Welfare (Christine Nicol).

3 Dairy Cattle (Jean Margerison).

4 Beef Cattle and Veal Calves (Bernadette Earley).

5 Sheep (Pete Goddard).

6 Pigs (Sandra Edwards).

7 Laying Hens (Graham Scott).

8 Broiler Chickens (Susan Haslam).

9 Goats (Alan Mowlem).

10 Red Deer (Alison Hanlon).

11 Horses and Donkeys (Helen (Becky) Whay).

12 Farmed Fish (Tony Wall).

13 South American Camelids (Cristian Bonacic).

14 Turkeys (Stephen Lister).

15 Ducks (Keith Gooderham).

16 Game Birds (David Welchman).

17 Ostrich (Fiona Benson).

18 Assessment, Implementation and Promotion of Farm Animal Welfare (David Main and John Webster).

Index.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Dennis D French, DVM (University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine)
Description: This fifth edition book on the welfare of animals adds three new types of animals and reinstates horses, doing a very thorough job of covering the welfare concerns, both positive and negative, of farm animals. The previous edition was published in 1999.
Purpose: The intention is to provide a comprehensive review of issues that affect the welfare of animals, and the editor correctly states that many things have changed in the 40 years since the first edition of this book. With the current economic and societal pressures, the welfare of farm animals is clearly a concern. As the editor notes, it is no longer valid to care about animals, caring for them is what matters.
Audience: This is designed as an introductory book on the management and welfare of farm animals, but it goes well beyond that, elucidating many of the scenarios that affect and may compromise farm animal welfare. The authors cover the general principles of good husbandry before describing situations and economic pressures that come into play that may compromise the animal's welfare.
Features: The editor and his select group of authors address nearly every conceivable species of animal that can be raised on a farm for production purposes. Because it is organized on a species by species basis, readers can pick areas of particular interest or concern quite easily. One of the key features is the discussion of the history of the use of each of the species and how that use may have evolved over time. The tables and charts are valuable and easy to follow. The images are nothing special, but they do help enhance the points the authors are making.
Assessment: This book is unique in that it pulls together information and knowledge from a number of sources and provides valuable insights into how any particular species has been used over the years for production. The editor and his authors have done a wonderful job of defining the pressures on producers. They contrast these issues with the societal perceptions and current scientific knowledge of how animals should be allowed to live. The authors present all of this information in a very factual, thought-provoking manner.

Doody's Review Service

This book is unique in that it pulls together information and knowledge from a number of sources and provides valuable insights into how any particular species has been used over the years for production … The authors present all of this information in a very factual, thought-provoking manner.”  (Doody's, 25 May 2012)

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