Pain and distress in agricultural animals

ublic concern over the use and treatment of agri- cultural animals has increased since the 1994 publication of Ruth Harrison' s Animal Machines-The New Farming Industry. Presently, in the United States, discussions addressing these same issues are in progress. Questions involved include: 1) Do farm animals experience pain and distress? 2) How can pain and distress be recognized? 3) What causes pain and distress? 4) How can pain and distress be managed? and 5) What improvements can be made to control pain and distress? The purpose of this article is to address these questions, to increase awareness of agricultural animal production and welfare, and to stress the need for the adoption of producer-developed guidelines on agricultural animal care and use.