The trend towards animal welfare has become prominent since around 2000. Since the 2000s, a number of states in the United States have enacted laws banning the confinement of livestock such as chickens and pigs in small cages. In response to this trend, the “Five Freedoms” have been advocated as international principles. These are freedom from hunger and thirst, freedom from fear and distress, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, and freedom to behave normally. These “Five Freedoms” apply to pets, livestock, and laboratory animals. This trend was not well received in the early days. However, it has become similar to the situation 10 years ago when the responsibility of companies for climate change issues began to be discussed. The movement of shareholder proposals regarding climate change also gained momentum overseas, and later became established in Japan.
The leading model of international standards for animal welfare is practiced by dairy farmers in the EU, such as Germany. In Germany, a typical farm has 45,000 chickens divided into nine houses, which are then raised and supplied to the market. Feed is distributed from the feed tank to the chicken houses on an automatic conveyor. The chickens eat the feed while enjoying the five freedoms. The feed ingredients and water for drinking, which contains vaccines and vitamins, are controlled during the breeding process. There are dozens of small platforms (perches) throughout the chicken house. These perches seem to be important for animal welfare. The curious chickens often jump onto the platforms to play. Chickens reach sexual maturity in about 25 days, after which they begin mating and territorial behavior. After 30 days, they grow to a sufficient weight and are transported to a slaughterhouse to be roasted. There are five freedoms to be enjoyed during the process of growth and maturity.
The history of the world’s ethnic groups shows that taking the life of an animal and cherishing it are not contradictory. One example is the Iyomante of the Ainu people in Japan. The bear-sending ceremony is called Iyomante (sending off spirits). The god, transformed into a bear, comes to the village with souvenirs (the bear’s fur, meat, internal organs, etc.). The Ainu villagers would send the bear, which had come to play, to the land of the gods (as the deceased), bringing sake and rice cakes. The Ainu people accepted the blessings of nature, but they repaid nature by cherishing nature even more.
