Editorial: Animal Welfare Assessment: Edition 2

Animal welfare is an important dimension of human-animal interaction in managed settings such as farms and zoos. This field of research can also be a powerful driver to continuously improve the traditional animal production systems to ensure that the animals are able to meet basic requirements of five freedoms (freedom from pain, injury and disease, freedom from fear and distress, freedom from discomfort, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from hunger and thirst). The recently developed five domains model is also internationally recognized and it attempts to provide an understanding of the emotions of animals (affective state) in response to human interventions. Animal welfare legislation is a complex topic; however, consumer awareness associated with the methods of animal production, health and biosecurity risks increasingly demand stronger investment into research and innovation to continually improve animal welfare standards.
In Edition 2 of the Animal Welfare Assessment Topic, we showcased a collection of 13 peer reviewed articles which highlight advancements in animal welfare assessment methods across animal production systems. It includes works of animal welfare experts, veterinarians, animal physiologists and animal managers that will generate a healthy discussion and showcase latest studies working toward finding the harmony between animal performance, health and welfare.