Scientific evidence for the sentience of major farm animal species is now overwhelming. This evidence base should underpin welfare policy and consumer choice.
The sentience of farm animals is no longer a matter of genuine scientific controversy. Pigs, cattle, sheep, chickens, and fish all demonstrate the physiological and behavioural hallmarks of sentience - nociception, learning, memory, emotional states, and complex social relationships. This evidence base creates a powerful ethical case for treating these animals as subjects of their own lives rather than food production units. The gap between the scientific consensus on farm animal sentience and the conditions in which most farm animals are kept represents one of the most profound ethical failures of industrial society.