THE WELFARE OF DEER

Recent research on the welfare of farmed deer, as for other species, h as addressed issues relating to transport, housing and slaughter. Whil e most studies have continued to use a behavioural and physiological a pproach, new methods of assessing welfare need to consider aspects of cognition and awareness, which are not so easily assessed. It is sugge sted that a systems-based analysis may be one way to obtain a view of welfare from an animal-centred position. Incorporating an economic per spective could indicate whether consumer choice or legislation would b e more likely to lead to higher standards.