Welfare of Animals in Egg-Free and Vegan Food Production

The growth of vegan and animal-free food production offers significant welfare benefits but raises questions about land use, wildlife mortality in crop production, and environmental trade-offs.

Key Facts

Plant-based diets reduce animal welfare harm by reducing demand for farmed animal products
Crop production causes wildlife mortality through habitat conversion, harvesting equipment, and pesticide use
Field mouse and vole mortality in grain harvesting is estimated in the millions annually
Wild animal welfare in crop agriculture is largely untracked and unregulated
Diverse plant-based diets from low-impact crops minimize both wildlife and environmental harm

Welfare Considerations

The welfare case for plant-based diets is strong but not without complexity. Reducing farmed animal use decreases the suffering of billions of intensively farmed animals. But crop production is not welfare-neutral — field animals are killed in harvesting, habitat is converted from wildlife to monoculture, and pesticide use kills both target and non-target animals. The welfare-positive plant-based diet minimizes animal products while also choosing low-impact crops, supporting organic and agroecological farming, and supporting habitat preservation.

What You Can Do

Shift diet toward plant-based foods as the most welfare-positive dietary change available
Choose diverse whole plant foods from varied sources rather than highly processed alternatives
Support agroecological farming that maintains habitat alongside food production
Engage with the complexity of crop agriculture welfare rather than treating plant-based as entirely harm-free