Developments in Chinese Attitudes to Animal Welfare.

Abstract

China has strong traditions of respect for animals, but momentous changes in recent history have changed society dramatically, and it cannot be assumed that animal welfare is always good. Farm animal production is being intensified rapidly, which can reduce resources offered to animals, in particular space for comfortable living. However, amongst workers in the animal industries, there is little optimism about their ability or need to improve animal welfare. Nevertheless, there is growing attention to animal welfare science in China, which is focused on remote sensing and technological approaches. The Chinese government currently has relatively little involvement in supporting good animal welfare standards, although legislation is in place. Attitudes are influenced by many factors, including the law, age, experience, occupation, and gender. The relatively strong involvement of women in caring for farm animals is encouraging as they tend to have more empathetic attitudes toward animals. It is concluded that attitudes are changing rapidly, but so are animal production systems, which make the development and improvement of animal welfare on farms especially important.