Abstract
Although a great amount of effort over the years has been spent to address critical challenges to animal welfare, many problems have resisted resolution. The reasons for this lack of success are multifaceted, involving cultural norms, absolute numbers of animals required to feed the population, government regulation, economic return on investments, biological limitations, housing requirements for large populations of animals, and sacrifices due to tradeoffs between competing attributes. In a perfect world, most challenges to animal welfare could be solved so that fewer animals suffer. Thus, identifying specific constraints in the system that cause a compromise of welfare could help to improve it, however, it could also clarify why welfare in these systems will not be improved. Some solutions initially appear to be very simple, for instance giving analgesics to animals experiencing pain. The technology is there, however, the feasibility, legal authority, and economic ability are not. If these hurdles could be removed then the welfare implications of practices like castration, disbudding, beak trimming, and tail docking could be resolved. Other challenges, such as the euthanasia of male layer chicks, will need breakthroughs in technology and implementation. And in this case, the realization that euthanasia of these animals is typically not a welfare problem, rather an ethical one is an important distinction. Some Challenges, such as environmental heat and cold stress, seem beyond our ability to solve. However, progress is being made through genetic and physiologic manipulations, and engineering innovations which may all prove to be significant achievements. Key Words: