The role of evidence in animal welfare science and standards : an ethical analysis

The development of the field of animal welfare science in recent decades, together with growth in public interest and ethical concerns for the welfare of animals has arguably led to an increase in regulation, both public and private, in the production and use of farmed animals. Animal welfare regulation, in the form of legislation, directives, industry guidelines and private standards is characterized by its reliance on scientific evidence to justify the conditions under which farmed animals should be bred, raised, transported, and slaughtered. One of the important roles scientific evidence plays in discussions around the regulation of farmed animal welfare is providing a seemingly ethically neutral understanding of how animals should be treated, in other words, it sidesteps ethical arguments for the treatment of animals, using science as a justification. However, per the dominant philosophy of science discourse on the role of values in science, no science can be considered value-free, and furthermore, there are acceptable roles for social and ethical values in scientific practice. These roles are not just acceptable, but necessary for the direction, interpretation, and application of science. This work argues that: a) given the broad range of ethical views regarding how we should treat animals, animal welfare science provides robust and credible guidance; b) furthermore, that animal welfare science is not only inspired or informed by animal ethics concepts and frameworks, but also has embedded social/ethical and cognitive values throughout; c) thus, in order to fulfil its purpose as a socially mandated science, animal welfare science should engage in intentional processes to determine adequate roles for various kinds of values underlying all stages of the scientific process and the interpretation and implementation of findings. This intentional examination of the role of values can be supported by more effective interdisciplinary collaboration. While animal welfare science is characterized in part by its interdisciplinary nature, it is important to question to what extent the research is truly interdisciplinary in the sense of fostering epistemic integration. Philosophical tools and analyses, beyond the typical uses of ethical frameworks as a starting point, can be valuable in facilitating effective interdisciplinary work, leading to a better understanding of the normative dimensions of animal welfare science.