Summary
The
World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) describes the
viewpoint of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in the
welfare of farm animals undergoing long distance transportation.
The guiding principle is that the potential for poor animal welfare
increases with the distance and duration of travel. Thus, farm animals
should be slaughtered as close to their farm of origin as possible
and trade in live animals for slaughter should be replaced with
a trade in meat only. The challenge for reform in long distance
transportation of animals is to raise community awareness about
the issue without invoking the psychological phenomenon of cognitive
dissonance, which has the paradoxical effect of reinforcing adverse
behaviour. NGO activity in long distance transportation of animals
is described for Australia, the United States and the European Union
and aspirations elsewhere in the world are discussed. Importantly,
animal welfare NGOs are now recognised by and have a voice in the
forums of international bodies such as the World Organisation for
Animal Health (Office International des Epizooties: OIE)
and the International Finance Corporation. Challenges for the future
include the development of partnerships in global markets to replace
the trade in live animals with a meat-only trade.
Keywords
Animals,
Animal welfare, Farm animals, Non-governmental organisation, Sentience,
Transportation, Welfare.
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