Truly sustainable agriculture must integrate animal welfare alongside environmental and social sustainability for coherent long-term food system design.
Sustainable food systems that neglect animal welfare can achieve environmental goals while perpetuating significant animal suffering. A farm that is carbon-neutral but confines animals in cages is not genuinely sustainable from an ethical standpoint. Integrating welfare into sustainability frameworks — through certification standards, impact assessments, and market incentives — ensures that the transition to more sustainable agriculture does not simply shift harm from one dimension to another. The most coherent vision of sustainable agriculture includes the welfare of all animals within the system.