Government and industry pest management programs kill billions of animals annually, with welfare considerations rarely integrated into program design.
Conservation pest management creates a welfare dilemma: killing invasive animals to protect native species. The animals killed are sentient beings experiencing pain and fear, even if their presence causes ecological harm. Welfare impact assessments for pest control programs are rare, and the scale of killing — millions of animals annually in some programs — means the aggregate welfare cost is enormous regardless of ecological justification. More humane methods exist for most pest species but are less economically efficient.