Animal agriculture is the largest consumer of freshwater globally. Understanding water use in food production helps advocates connect environmental and animal welfare concerns and identify high-impact interventions.
Water scarcity creates direct animal welfare impacts for both farmed and wild animals. Livestock deprived of adequate water during drought experience thirst stress, reduced feed intake, and heat stress as water-cooled facilities fail. Wild animals depend on water sources that are being depleted or polluted by agricultural runoff. The connection between water use in animal agriculture and animal welfare is therefore direct -- reducing water-intensive animal products reduces both environmental damage and the welfare consequences of water scarcity for animals in drought-affected regions.