The relationship between livestock farming and climate change creates complex welfare trade-offs, as reducing emissions may require production system changes with either positive or negative welfare implications.
Climate change itself threatens farm animal welfare through increased heat stress, drought-reduced feed availability and disease range expansion. Mitigation measures that intensify production to reduce land use may worsen welfare even while reducing emissions. Policy approaches that incentivise both welfare and climate goals simultaneously are needed: extensive grazing systems with good welfare and soil carbon sequestration represent one convergent solution.