Animal Machines is a 1964
non-fiction
Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media content that attempts, in good faith, to convey information only about the real life, real world, rather than being grounded in imagination. Non-fiction typically aims to pre ...
book on
factory farming
Intensive animal farming, industrial livestock production, and macro-farms, also known as factory farming, is a type of intensive agriculture, specifically an approach to mass animal husbandry designed to maximize production while minimizing co ...
written by
Ruth Harrison, an English
animal welfare
Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of 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 ...
activist and author. The book described the harsh conditions in intensive livestock farming and brought the suffering of intensively farmed animals into the public eye, leading to the UK Government to create a committee led by
Francis Brambell
Francis William Rogers Brambell (25 February 1901 – 6 June 1970) was an Irish medical scientist who spent all of his professional working life in Britain.
Education
Brambell was born in Sandycove, Dublin and was educated (1911–1914) at Arav ...
to investigate farm animal welfare. The committee later published the
Brambell Report, which in turn led to the development of the
Five Freedoms model of animal welfare.
Contents
''Animal Machines'' contains chapters on major and widespread welfare issues such as
broiler hens, fast growing chicken breeds farmed for meat that are predisposed to health conditions such as heart attacks, dermatitis, and lameness;
battery hens, where chickens are kept in cramped cages in order to maximise egg production, but at the cost of decreased welfare; and
veal calves, young cows grown for meat that are kept in cramped conditions. The book also contained chapters on other common issues found in intensive agriculture. The book concludes by describing the primary arguments for and against factory farming, stating that the arguments against it are from a humanitarian and ethical perspective whilst the arguments in favour are purely economical.
Reception
When published in 1964, ''Animal Machines'' prompted public outcry against the conditions in factory farming which for many people were entirely unknown before Harrison revealed them. The public outcry was so great that the British government formed a committee chaired by
Francis Brambell
Francis William Rogers Brambell (25 February 1901 – 6 June 1970) was an Irish medical scientist who spent all of his professional working life in Britain.
Education
Brambell was born in Sandycove, Dublin and was educated (1911–1914) at Arav ...
to investigate the welfare of farm animals. The report published by the committee, sometimes referred to as the 'Brambell report', summarised that animals should be able “to stand up, lie down, turn around, groom themselves and stretch their limbs.” This report later led to the development of the
Five Freedoms, an important milestone in measuring and assessing animal welfare.
"The Five Freedoms: A History Lesson in Animal Care and Welfare"
Michigan State University. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
External Links
Archive.org link to the full text
References
{{animal welfare
1964 books
Animal welfare
Intensive farming