Waitrose tests out farm animal welfare mobile app
Waitrose is rolling out a new mobile application that will help it assess and understand the emotional wellbeing of its farm animals.
This has been developed by animal behavioural scientists at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and licensed by the retailer for trial and development for two years.
Creator, Professor Francoise Wemelsfelder, says that “Qualitative Behavioural Assessment” (QBA) plays a key role here.
He comments: “Good physical health is vital for good welfare but there is clear consensus among the scientific animal welfare community that factors such as enjoyment, contentment and positive excitement play an equally vital role in ensuring that an animal has a good life.”
“QBA not only provides a way to assess these factors, it also opens up the conversation about what positive emotional wellbeing for an animal truly looks like.”
“Because we believe fundamentally that animals are not simply production systems to be managed. They are sentient creatures that must be cared for.”
“While this remains very much in development, the fact that the app will be trialled and developed at scale with a leading supermarket chain is an incredibly significant and positive step for the industry.”
James Bailey, Executive Director at Waitrose, says: “This is the first time any retailer has explored welfare measures based on the concept of an animal’s freedom to express positive emotions.”
“In some countries, farm animals continue to be looked upon as food production systems that need to be managed.”
He adds: “This is wrong and for the UK to continue its position as a leader in farming standards, it’s critical that we recognise farm animals as sentient creatures capable of experiencing a range of emotions and positive experiences.”
“By acknowledging this, working hard to understand what those positive emotional expressions are and how they can be unlocked, we can lead the industry into a new and more confident era of farm animal welfare.”
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