The welfare of farm animals is absolutely crucial for ensuring food supplies and reducing the risk of disease. It’s even more vital when you consider zoonotic diseases that could transfer from animals to humans. The five freedoms are the ideal foundation for animal health. They are so important that they are in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. We want to have a closer look at them today so you can see what you should be doing to protect your animals.

Hunger and thirst

Naturally the starting point is that animals must have the correct diet and sufficient access to fresh water. Both are essential for health and wellbeing. The key thing to think about here though is catering for different needs, including species, ages, and genders. Most importantly, make sure you take special care to provide enough food and water for pregnant and sick animals.

Discomfort

Next, it is equally as important to make sure that animals are free from discomfort. They should live in environments where they feel safe and comfortable. Key things to think about here include ensuring they have shelter from the elements and protection from potential predators. Additionally, the settings should be light, warm and quiet.

Pain, injuries, and diseases

Thirdly, every animal should have as high a standard of living as possible, free of pain, injury, and diseases. Vital details to look at here include veterinary treatments and vaccinations. Monitoring is critical to minimise the spread of any illnesses or diseases. This will also provide a quicker response if there are any outbreaks. It can dramatically improve animal health.

Behaviour

Being able to express normal behaviours is also really important for animal welfare. In fact, there are numerous studies to showcase how essential it is to ensure animals can move around, jump, play, and groom. One of the most significant factors to think about is socialising. Some animals want to be around others and can have a significant decline in health if they are isolated. Others prefer to be alone. You need to respect this and make provisions.

Fear and distress

Finally, just like humans, it is crucial to keep in mind that mental health is as important as physical. It is essential to ensure animals can live without any kind of psychological suffering. Key here is to look at things like space, herd numbers, and safety.

Talk to us and choose quality products to improve animal health

As you can see, there are a number of vital elements if you want to protect the welfare of farm animals. Ensuring you choose good feeds and feeders, water supplies, shelters and housing, paddocks and pastures is critical. You also need to respect the importance of vets and everything they can help with.

If you need to order different products for animals, you should speak to us. We’ve been supporting farmers for decades, providing friendly advice and high quality goods. Our main goal is to maximise animal health to protect livelihoods, food supplies, and more. So, if you want some info or recommendations, contact us.