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Home > The Institute > Scientific expertise > Expert reports > Pain in farm animals

Pain in farm animals

Animal pain: identifying, understanding and minimising pain in farm animals

(01/12/2009)

A collective scientific expert report on pain in farm animals has been compiled by INRA at the request of the French Ministries for Agriculture and Research. The scientific assessment brought together around twenty experts from INRA and other research establishments including Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Collège de France, CNRS and Veterinary Schools both in France and abroad. Their conclusions were made public on December 8, 2009.
Presentation, documents and videos of the report.

 
The scientific expert report on pain in farm animals is part of a plan of action which resulted from the series of meetings entitled Rencontres "Animal et Société", held in 2008 to identify key issues in all aspects of the relationship between humans and animals and which brought together professionals, scientists, elected representatives, public authorities and relevant associations. During these meetings, the participants agreed that the concept of pain in animals needed to be defined as it is central to the debate.  The report aimed at defining pain with regard to related concepts, such as suffering or stress, identifying tools for measuring pain as well as solutions for reducing it.  Ethical and socio-economic issues relating to animal pain were also placed in perspective.  The assessment is based on a body of 1,400 scientific articles and international reports.

The work conducted made it possible to clarify the concepts and methods of analysis used to detect and measure pain in farm animals. The study of human pain can help to clarify and examine the specificity of animal pain. The assessment identified painful situations.  Painful practices can be inflicted on animals due to constraints of certain farming systems or due to demands related to the organoleptic quality of products or the safety of workers (castration, for example). Pain at the time of slaughter was also analysed. The assessment outlines alternatives for eliminating or reducing pain that are already in use or currently being developed in production systems of several countries. These correspond to a three-pronged “suppress, substitute, soothe” or 3S approach.

> Synopsis of the report  (8 pages, PDF, 266 kO)
> Summary of the report (99 pages, PDF, 2.7 MO)
> Full report (in French)
> View the videos of the presentation of the report of December 8, 2009 (in French)

Contacts:

Pierre Le Neindre, Scientific Coordinator
Claire Sabbagh, Delegation for Scientific Expertise, Foresight and Advanced Studies

 

 

Written by :  Communications Department and Delegation for Scientific Expertise, Foresight and Advanced Studies
Label for the news :  Research example
Date of creation : 08/04/2010
Date of last update : 26/05/2011

 

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