Animal Welfare

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2011:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry. The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

On completion of the course, students should have sound and broad understanding of the systems regulating body function and the behavioural and physiological responses utilised by animals in responding to environmental change. From this theoretical base, students should develop an appreciation of the scientific approaches available to assess animal welfare. Furthermore, students should understand the concepts of animal welfare and be aware of the main welfare issues confronting animals in modern livestock production systems and other captive animal settings.

Specific topics covered include:

• the current debate about animal usage and animal welfare;
• systems regulating the body (homeostasis, motivation and control systems, and development of regulatory systems);
• limits to adaptation (stimulation, tolerance and coping, variation in adaptation);
• stress and welfare (Selye's concept of stress and refinements to the concept, coping and fitness, definition of welfare and its assessment);
• assessing welfare using short- and long-term biological responses;
• assessing welfare using preference testing;
• assessing welfare by studying cognitive skills;
• ethical problems concerning welfare;
• welfare issues in agriculture and the general community; and
• codes of practice for the welfare of livestock and welfare solutions.

The subject aims to provide students with a knowledge and understanding of animal welfare and ethics that can be applied to provide sound, science-based advice on animal welfare practices to industry, interest groups and the public, to be proactive in dealing with public sentiment, and be able to assess the welfare of animals in captivity.

• Informal class presentations (up to 5) (30%),
• Seminar presentation (30%), and
• One written paper of up to 1000 words (worth 40%).

• Stress & Animal Welfare (D M Broom and K G Johnson), Chapman & Hill, 1993
• Farm Animal Behaviour & Welfare (A F Fraser D M and Broom), CABI, 1990

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

This subject involves the use of animals. Students should be aware that this is an essential part of the subject and exemption from this component is not possible.