Outlining a conception of animal welfare for organic farming systems

The concept of animal welfare refers to the animal's quality of life. The c hoice of definition always reflects some basic valuation. This makes a part icular conception of welfare value-dependent. Also, the animal husbandry sy stem reflects certain values or aims. The values reflected in the chosen co nception of animal welfare ought to correspond to values aimed for in the h usbandry system. The IFOAM Basic Standards and other writings dealing with organic animal husbandry should be taken as a departure point for a discuss ion of how to interpret the conception of welfare in organic farming system s. The conception of welfare is related to two core values in the organic a griculture movement. These core values should be considered in terms of (1) aim for holistic view and (2) aim for sustainability. A third, implicit co re value, based on bio- and ecocentric views: (3) respect for nature is nee ded as a supplement to these two core values. There are important implicati ons of these core values for an ``organic'' conception of animal welfare an d for confronting two dilemmas due to conflicting interests. Comparisons am ong the three commonly used welfare definitions will show the superiority o f the third approach, which can provide an outline for a conception of anim al welfare more suitable for organic farming systems. This outline combines a holistic ecocentric approach with respect for the individual animal, and it can be used as the basis for a complex definition with emphasis on natu ral behavior. Such a systemic approach considers welfare in relation to dif ferent systemic levels. The systemic view also offers possibilities for res olving the dilemmas in new ways.