I estimate broilers in conventional and reformed scenarios have a welfare of −2.27 and −0.161 AQALY/broiler-year, and hens in conventional cages and cage-free aviaries have a welfare of −1.69 and −0.333 AQALY/hen-year[1]. I estimate shrimps on ongrowing farms not stunned, stunned with ice slurry (although note this is rarely done properly), and eletrically stunned before slaughter have a welfare of −8.77, −4.40 and −4.19 AQALY/shrimp-year. For comparing effects across species, I get estimates for the welfare in QALY/animal-year multiplying the welfare in AQALY/animal-year by Rethink Priorities’ (RP’s) median welfare ranges based on my guess that the welfare per animal-year of fully happy life is proportional to the welfare range.
To calculate the welfare in AQALY/animal-year, I assumed the welfare of annoying, hurtful, disabling, and excruciating pain are −0.1, −1, −10, and −100 k AQALY/pain-year, which imply each of the following neutralise 1 day of fully happy life:
10 days (= 1⁄0.1) of annoying pain.
1 day of hurtful pain.
2.40 h (= 24⁄10) of disabling pain.
0.864 s (= 24*60^2/(100*10^3)) of excruciating pain.
There is lots of uncertainty. Feel free to make copies of the sheets I linked above, and update the pain intensities in the tab “Pain intensities”.
To illustrate, 2.27 fully happy broiler-years, as in healthy broilers in a sanctuary, are needed to neutralise 1 broiler-year in a conventional scenario, which has a welfare of −2.27 animal quality-adjusted life-years (AQALYs) per broiler-year.
Hi Chris,
I estimate broilers in conventional and reformed scenarios have a welfare of −2.27 and −0.161 AQALY/broiler-year, and hens in conventional cages and cage-free aviaries have a welfare of −1.69 and −0.333 AQALY/hen-year[1]. I estimate shrimps on ongrowing farms not stunned, stunned with ice slurry (although note this is rarely done properly), and eletrically stunned before slaughter have a welfare of −8.77, −4.40 and −4.19 AQALY/shrimp-year. For comparing effects across species, I get estimates for the welfare in QALY/animal-year multiplying the welfare in AQALY/animal-year by Rethink Priorities’ (RP’s) median welfare ranges based on my guess that the welfare per animal-year of fully happy life is proportional to the welfare range.
To calculate the welfare in AQALY/animal-year, I assumed the welfare of annoying, hurtful, disabling, and excruciating pain are −0.1, −1, −10, and −100 k AQALY/pain-year, which imply each of the following neutralise 1 day of fully happy life:
10 days (= 1⁄0.1) of annoying pain.
1 day of hurtful pain.
2.40 h (= 24⁄10) of disabling pain.
0.864 s (= 24*60^2/(100*10^3)) of excruciating pain.
There is lots of uncertainty. Feel free to make copies of the sheets I linked above, and update the pain intensities in the tab “Pain intensities”.
To illustrate, 2.27 fully happy broiler-years, as in healthy broilers in a sanctuary, are needed to neutralise 1 broiler-year in a conventional scenario, which has a welfare of −2.27 animal quality-adjusted life-years (AQALYs) per broiler-year.