The MSPCA-Angell believes that farm animals are creatures of intrinsic value, complexity, and dignity. We believe that the billions of animals raised each year are entitled to live their lives consistent with the “Five Freedoms” – freedom from fear and distress, freedom from pain, injury, and disease, freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from discomfort, and freedom to express natural behaviors.
The MSPCA-Angell condemns the following practices that are not consistent with these freedoms, which include, but are not limited to:
- Intensive confinement systems, such as crates and cages, that either totally isolate individual animals or crowd animals together and prevent natural behavior and movement.
- Selective breeding for characteristics that result in pain or suffering of the animal.
- Manipulating diet in ways that interfere with the animal’s good health.
- Handling and transporting animals in stressful or injurious ways.
- Slaughtering animals not using humane methods.
- Performing surgeries on animals solely to prevent injuries resulting from confinement-induced stress or without the appropriate use of analgesia.
The MSPCA-Angell believes that good animal husbandry should be based in humane stewardship and that the humane ethic should be applied to all farm animals. The MSPCA-Angell believes that farm animals in any management system should be kept in a safe and comfortable environment. These animals should have access to shelter from extremes of weather, protection from predators, an adequately controlled temperature when indoors, ventilation and light, a clean and sanitary environment, protection from equipment failure and fire, housing and grouping appropriate to their behavioral and social needs, and a humane death.
Therefore, the MSPCA-Angell will:
- generate public awareness and promote alternatives to intensive confinement systems and the problems caused by them.
- enforce existing laws on behalf of farm animals.
- inform the public of the need for stronger laws relating to the raising of farm animals.
- provide information to consumers concerning sources of non-factory-farmed food.
- educate about the “Five Freedoms.”
