𝐴𝑁𝐼𝑀𝐴𝐿 𝑊𝐸𝐿𝐹𝐴𝑅𝐸

Introduction
Animal welfare refers to the physical and emotional state that is impacted by the environment in which the animal lives and works, human attitudes and practices, and resources available to it. Welfare is an ever- changing state in which all of these factors can and will cause welfare to fluctuate between good, bad and somewhere in between on a near constant basis.
At the Brooke we aim for overall welfare to be good. This accepts that there can be good and bad experiences during the animal’s life, but as far as possible health, life and comfort-sustaining needs are met.
ANIMAL WELFARE
LIFE SUSTAINING
HEALTH SUSTAINING
COMFORT SUSTAINING
Animal welfare needs. An animal’s welfare will remain poor unless all of these levels of need are met.
Why should people be concerned about animal welfare?
Within the discipline of animal welfare we consider science, ethics and law. In some cases we have to be concerned because the law says so, in other ways we should because evidence leads to evolving ethical views on what is right.
Domesticated animals work hard to provide us with many of the things that enable us to survive and thrive (e.g. meat, milk, draught power) so it is our responsibility to ensure they have a good quality of life.
Just as we humans expect to be paid, or at least reap some personal benefit from a long day of hard work, animals deserve support for all the hard work they do that makes our lives easier and secures our livelihoods – it is the least we can do for them.
Animals are fully contributing members of our communities that can feel pain, fear and stress as well as a wide range of positive emotions

• we must look out for our fellow community members as best we can to ensure a happy, healthy and peaceful community.
  In some countries, legislation is in place to protect animal welfare and it is a legal requirement to provide for the needs of animals.
  At the Brooke we need to help people meet their responsibilities despite the constraints which come from factors such as the environment, poverty, low- status and restricted access to resources for their families and animals. An animal’s welfare matters regardless of the function they serve. Good animal welfare is a necessity not a luxury.
  There are multiple existing concepts of what animal welfare means, which are used in different ways for different reasons. Here are the main ones and how they have been used at the Brooke