The Future of Animal Welfare: Emerging Issues and Opportunities

Emerging technologies and shifting values present both new threats and extraordinary opportunities for improving animal welfare in coming decades.

Key Facts

Cultivated meat — grown from animal cells — could eliminate farm animal slaughter if it achieves scale
CRISPR gene editing is being explored to reduce animal suffering through disease resistance
Wild animal welfare — improving conditions for wild animals — is an emerging field
AI monitoring systems can detect lameness, disease, and stress in farm animals early
The global animal welfare movement is expanding most rapidly in Asia, home to the majority of farmed animals

Welfare Considerations

The future of animal welfare will be shaped by technological innovation, moral evolution, and policy development. Cultivated meat and precision fermentation offer pathways to food systems without animal farming, though scale and cost remain challenges. Gene editing could reduce susceptibility to diseases that cause suffering in farmed animals — though risks of unintended welfare consequences require careful evaluation. AI welfare monitoring systems are being deployed on farms to detect health problems earlier. The growing field of wild animal welfare grapples with how to improve conditions for the trillions of wild animals whose suffering is largely invisible and unaddressed. These developments require active engagement by the animal welfare community to ensure technology serves welfare goals.

What You Can Do

Support cultivated meat research organizations such as New Harvest and Good Food Institute
Engage with wild animal welfare as a serious ethical concern deserving resources
Advocate for AI monitoring systems in farm welfare certification standards
Learn about emerging welfare science and how it changes our understanding of animal sentience
Join or support the growing global animal welfare movement especially in regions with most farmed animals