Document type: article published by the Animal Welfare Chair
Author: The Animal Welfare Chair
Preview: Improving animal welfare can have positive effects on productivity and health, thereby contributing to environmental, climate and biodiversity benefits. However, in some cases, such improvements can also increase the environmental impact of livestock farming. Compromises therefore need to be found to reconcile the needs of animal welfare and environmental protection. From this point of view, a reduction in meat consumption would appear to be a fundamental first step.
This article seeks to take stock of the impacts produced by changes in farm animal welfare on the environment, taking into account not only greenhouse gas emissions, but also biodiversity, agricultural land use and inputs (straw, feed, etc.). One way to improve animal welfare while limiting negative impacts on the environment would be to reduce our consumption of animal products so as to reduce farmed animal numbers. The article does however start from the assumption that the production and consumption of animal products exist in equilibrium.
