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• The covered animal is provided:
  • Adequate space to stand, lie down, move his or her head freely, turn around completely, and fully extend all limbs or wings without touching any part of an enclosure or another animal.
  • Daily access to adequate food and water without forced feeding or feed withdrawal.
  • Adequate veterinary care, including prompt treatment or humane euthanasia of a sick or injured covered animal.
• The dam of the offspring raised in accordance with these standards was also housed under these conditions during gestation.

• The ability of an animal to walk or turnaround, does not ensure animal welfare if the biology and behavior of the species is not taken into consideration. Some housing systems that allow for increased movement of farm animals also create an increased stress level, leading to decreased production, an increased susceptibility to disease, which may lead to increased sickness and death throughout the herd.
• Without allowing adequate time for proper research on current and proposed animal farming practices, new animal welfare issues could arise such as injury or death due to improper management of group housing, or starvation of less dominant animals in the herd.
• The AVMA believes that to address animal welfare in the long term, advantages of current housing systems should be retained while making improvements to overcome problems identified. Improvements should be adopted as soon as:
  • The technology is sound enough that producers can adopt it with confidence,
  • The skills needed to operate the systems are understood and available, and
  • The system is economically viable.