One Health

One Health Policy: Integrating Animal and Human Welfare

One Health policy frameworks that integrate animal welfare, human health, and environmental objectives create more effective and efficient interventions.

Key Facts

Antimicrobial resistance, zoonotic disease, and food safety are addressed more effectively through One Health approaches
The UK government published a One Health framework acknowledging animal-human-environment linkages
Livestock welfare improvements that reduce antibiotic use address both animal and human welfare goals
Wildlife disease surveillance protects both wildlife welfare and human public health
International bodies including WHO, FAO, and OIE now collaborate through One Health frameworks

Welfare Considerations

One Health policy integration creates opportunities for animal welfare to be advanced through alliances with human health, environmental, and economic policy communities that have more political traction than animal welfare alone. Framing livestock antibiotic reduction as both a welfare improvement and an AMR policy goal, or framing wildlife disease management as both conservation and public health, expands the coalition for welfare-positive policy.

What You Can Do

Support One Health policy frameworks that include animal welfare as a core objective
Engage with human health advocacy communities as allies for animal welfare improvements
Advocate for animal welfare to be included in international health security frameworks
Donate to research demonstrating the human health benefits of animal welfare improvements