In this episode of Animals in Translation, Sophie, Kerri, and The Cat interview Lisa Yang to discuss her recently published research paper: Animal welfare with Chinese characteristics: Chinese poultry producers’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, animal welfare. Lisa found that, although poultry producers have an understanding of animal welfare, prioritizing economic motivations is key to successful interventions leading to cage-free housing systems.

You can find more about her research on poultry welfare in China here.

In this episode, Sophie and Kerri discuss the critical issues surrounding poultry and animal welfare, referencing Ruth Harrison's influential book 'Animal Machines'. They explore the ethical dilemmas of cheap protein production and the harsh realities of industrial farming practices. The conversation highlights the importance of recognizing chickens as individuals and the need for humane treatment throughout their lives, including during slaughter. To help support more humane production practices, buy Certified Humane eggs from producers such as Nest Fresh, who were the first to use the new in-ovo sexed chick technology to avoid chick maceration. This is a primer for the next AIT podcast episode- a deeper dive with researcher, Lisa Yang, on her research about poultry production in China. 

In this first episode of 'Animals in Translation (AIT)', hosts Sophie and Kerri introduce themselves and share their diverse backgrounds in animal welfare. They explore the Five Freedoms, the progress in animal welfare assessment, and the importance of ethical pluralism. AIT will post a monthly 'primer' podcast to introduce a specific animal welfare topic before offering a longer, in-depth interview with an animal welfare expert to discuss their published work.