Animal transport and welfare: a global challenge

Animal welfare has moved on from being a concern of a caring few to the stuff of international legislation. The author argues that more research is needed into animal welfare, especially since legislation should be based on sound science rather than emotion or anthropomorphism. The farming and animal handling community should consider the potential benefits of animal welfare rather than viewing the whole issue as a threat. The animal welfare community can assist both animals and themselves by stressing the economic advantages to be obtained from better animal welfare. Better welfare requires more than just being kind to animals, but a combination of skills, science and experience that need to be combined into one overall effective discipline.