Animal welfare: The contribution of ethology

During the last fifty years, intensive husbandry has profoundly modified the animal living conditions, especially in pigs and poultry. At the same time, concerns about animal welfare were growing on. "Welfare " (" le bien-etre " in french) can be defined as a state of dynamic balance (homeostasy) between the animal and its environment (internal and external). The attempts of the animal to maintain or to adjust this balance may induce physical and mental sufferings, eventually harmful even on a health than on a performance point of view. Welfare of farm animals is assessed using 4 complementary and closely linked types of measures, i.e. performance, health, physiology and ethology. Ethological measurements involve a lot of advantages and are more and more utilised: study of adaptation abilities, behavioural disorders or animal motivation and preference. Ethology is thus considered as a very useful tool that can not be neglected, as shown by the important scientific work, notably in pigs and poultry. Research results have to constitute an essential prerequisite to the ethical reflection process regarding animal welfare, allowing to induce concrete and relevant political acts.