Manure Management and Livestock Welfare: The Environmental-Welfare Nexus

Manure management in intensive farming affects both environmental sustainability and animal welfare through its influence on housing design, air quality, and farm system structure.

Key Facts

Ammonia from livestock manure is a major source of air pollution causing respiratory problems in both farm workers and animals housed in barns with inadequate ventilation
Slatted concrete floors, used to facilitate manure management, cause leg injuries, joint problems, and hoof disorders in pigs and cattle
Straw bedding systems that provide better welfare outcomes for pigs produce solid manure that is easier to handle and has higher agronomic value than liquid slurry from slatted systems
Methane from livestock manure contributes to greenhouse gas emissions; anaerobic digestion that reduces emissions also changes manure properties in ways that affect fertiliser value
Outdoor and pasture systems that eliminate indoor manure management problems shift welfare challenges to those associated with weather, predation, and parasites rather than housing quality

Welfare Considerations

Manure management systems are a foundational determinant of livestock welfare because they drive housing design choices. Liquid slurry systems require slatted floors that injure animals; solid manure systems enable straw bedding that improves welfare. The environmental and welfare agendas are aligned in this context: straw-bedded solid manure systems are better for animal welfare and produce a more valuable fertiliser product than liquid slurry, while anaerobic digestion of liquid slurry can reduce emissions but does not improve welfare. Agricultural policy that rewards solid manure management systems would deliver both environmental and welfare benefits simultaneously.

What You Can Do

Support agricultural policy that incentivises straw-bedded solid manure systems over liquid slurry as a welfare and environment co-benefit
Advocate for air quality standards in livestock housing that protect both worker and animal health from ammonia exposure
Choose meat and dairy from pasture-based systems where manure management does not drive barren indoor housing design
Support research into housing and manure management systems that align welfare and environmental outcomes
Push for environmental impact assessment of livestock facilities to include welfare impacts of housing system design choices