How good biosecurity protects farm animal welfare by preventing disease introductions that cause widespread suffering.
Good biosecurity is a welfare protection measure. When highly contagious diseases enter farm populations, the response - mass killing to contain spread - causes enormous welfare harm to animals that may not even be infected. Preventing introduction through robust biosecurity avoids both the disease suffering and the subsequent culling. The welfare argument for biosecurity is therefore both about preventing disease suffering in infected animals and preventing the mass culling welfare harms that disease outbreaks trigger. Farmers who invest in biosecurity protect both their animals and neighboring farms.