How this Association support the Farm Animal Welfare Council's Five Freedoms

The Electric Fencing Association has had discussions with the and is very happy to play its part in optimising the conditions in which domestic animals are confined and wild animals excluded.

The Five Freedoms are as follows:

The Electric Fencing Association, which consists of all manufacturers within the United Kingdom and many importers and distributors, aims to produce electric equipment, powered by 220v or 110v mains supply and by batteries which, in achieving its objective, administers the very shortest sharp shock to the animal.
The more intelligent the animal, the quicker it learns, indeed, animals such as dogs and horses will on occasion never approach an electric fence again, even when the power is turned off.

We have to say that there are certain imported, so called 'high energy' equipment which our Members feel can administer excessive shocks and, therefore, unnecessary pain to animals. These we neither support nor condone.

All the equipment produced by our members and sold in the UK is very strictly controlled to British Standard and European norms.
Such compliance, of course, in no way guarantees that the equipment will be used in the correct fashion, although our Members strive to give installation and maintenance instructions with each fence energiser they sell.
Help and advice is always available either from the manufacturer concerned or from this Association.

Our members are knowledgeable about basic animal behaviour and produce many types of fence to suit most animal species. Increasingly, safe areas for exercise and nourishment for domesticated animals can be protected from the ingress of animals outside by electric fencing or electrified netting.
On occasion, this can even protect them against attack, e.g. chickens from foxes.

Animals can also be excluded which could transmit disease but, where appropriate, the enjoyment of the company of the animals' own kind can be enhanced by appropriate enclosures.

We encourage ongoing discussion on the Animal Welfare Council's Five Freedoms and invite comments either to our General Secretary or direct to any of our Members.