Automation Systems For Farm Animals: Potential Impacts On The Human-Animal Relationship And On Animal Welfare

This article discusses the ethical issues raised by the increasing automation of animal farming; it is commonly believed that automation makes the individual animal “increasingly distant and impoverished.”

Increased distance between the farmer and the animal may protect the animal, to some degree, from negative interactions, but it is unclear that there is any benefit to the welfare of the animal. An increase in automation may lead to a “deskilled” farmer, which in turn may affect animal welfare. This paper explores the extent to which automation may actually benefit animal welfare. It argues that automation for farm animals can only be ethical when the systems prove to be “beneficial in respect of animal welfare.”