Introduction

Globally, nearly 70 billion animals are farmed annually for meat, milk, eggs and other products. Some two-thirds of these animals are farmed intensively. The gradual intensification of animal production systems over the past century, in response to market demands for higher production yields at lower cost, means that many of these systems are responsible for significant and widespread negative impacts on animal welfare. Practices such as the selection and manipulation of animals for rapid growth, and the use of confinement mechanisms, such as cages and crates, which severely restrict animal movement and behaviour, are pushing animals to their physical and mental limits. Moreover, these practices are starting to have a detrimental effect on the business case for intensive animal production, with many consumers unwilling to accept food that embodies poor welfare, and its association with poor quality.