The Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) is an independent advisory body established by the Government of the United Kingdom in 2011. It replaced the Farm Animal Welfare Council which was an independent advisory body established in 1979. The Council published its Final Report before its closure and replacement on 31 March 2011.
The Farm Animal Welfare Council terms of reference were to keep under review the welfare of farm animals on agricultural land, at market, in transit and at the place of slaughter and advise Government of any changes that may be necessary. The council comprised various Standing Committees and Working Groups that consulted widely and openly about the issues FAWC considered relevant to the welfare of farmed animals and to prepare recommendations for the Council's consideration. Once agreed, the recommendations formed the basis for advice given to Government. Copies of FAWC's Reports and other advice are available on the FAWC website.
The Council's major strength lay in its independence to investigate any topic falling within its remit and to communicate freely with outside bodies, including the European Commission and the public, while maintaining the independence to publish its advice.
The council also established the Five Freedoms for farm animals. These freedoms serve as a basic outline for regulations concerning livestock, poultry, etc.
The chairwoman appointed in 1999, Judy MacArthur Clark, told Parliament that [1] [2]
We are a council of just over 20 individuals. We are appointed by the Minister but we are appointed in an independent capacity. We do not represent any bodies other than our own opinions and the membership is very wide ranging. We have farmers on board; we have veterinarians, such as myself; we have people who represent the slaughter industry; we have animal welfarists; we have consumers. It is a very widespread membership intended to look at farm animal welfare from the perspective of the entire public view.
The Netherlands is a parliamentary representative democracy. A constitutional monarchy, the country is organised as a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands can be described as a consociational state. Dutch politics and governance are characterised by a common striving for broad consensus on important issues, within both of the political community and society as a whole.
Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity, disease, immunosuppression, behavior, physiology, and reproduction, although there is debate about which of these best indicate animal welfare.
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The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in 2001 caused a crisis in British agriculture and tourism. This epizootic saw 2,000 cases of the disease on farms across most of the British countryside. Over 6 million cows and sheep were slaughtered on farms in an eventually successful attempt to halt the disease. Cumbria was the worst affected area of the country, with 893 cases.
In Judaism, shechita is ritual slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to kashrut.
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In Islamic law, dhabihah, also spelled zabiha, is the prescribed method of slaughter for halal animals. It consists of a swift, deep incision to the throat with a very sharp knife, cutting the wind pipe, jugular veins and carotid arteries on both sides but leaving the spinal cord intact. The butcher is also required to call upon the name of Allah individually for each animal.
The legal aspects of ritual slaughter include the regulation of slaughterhouses, butchers, and religious personnel involved with traditional shechita (Jewish) and dhabiha (Islamic). Regulations also may extend to butchery products sold in accordance with kashrut and halal religious law. Governments regulate ritual slaughter, primarily through legislation and administrative law. In addition, compliance with oversight of ritual slaughter is monitored by governmental agencies and, on occasion, contested in litigation.
A university council may be the executive body of a university's governance system, an advisory body to the university president, or something in between in authority.
Ritual slaughter is the practice of slaughtering livestock for meat in the context of a ritual. Ritual slaughter involves a prescribed practice of slaughtering an animal for food production purposes.
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The Five Freedoms outline five aspects of animal welfare. They were developed in response to a 1965 UK Government report on livestock husbandry, and were formalised in 1979 press statement by the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council. They have been adopted by professional groups including veterinarians, and organisations including the World Organisation for Animal Health, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
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