Animal Welfare: Why It Matters for Everyone

Animal welfare is not a niche concern but a fundamental ethical issue affecting billions of sentient beings. Understanding why animal welfare matters and how everyone can contribute builds a more compassionate world.

Key Facts

Approximately 80 billion land animals are raised and slaughtered for food annually worldwide
Animal welfare improvements benefit not only animals but also human health, environmental sustainability, and food security
Research consistently shows that people who care about animal welfare also score higher on measures of empathy generally
Effective animal welfare advocacy has produced measurable improvements: cage-free egg pledges affecting hundreds of millions of hens
Individual choices — what we eat, buy, and advocate for — collectively shape the conditions billions of animals experience
The global animal welfare movement is growing: more organizations, more funding, and more policy victories than any previous decade

Welfare Considerations

Animal welfare matters because suffering matters regardless of the species experiencing it. The billions of farm animals, wild animals, and companion animals whose lives are shaped by human choices deserve consideration proportionate to their capacity for experience. The good news is that change is happening at unprecedented pace: corporate commitments affecting hundreds of millions of hens, legislative progress banning the worst practices, and alternative protein technologies that could eliminate the need for most animal farming within decades. Every individual action — choosing higher welfare products, reducing consumption of animal products, supporting effective welfare organizations, and engaging in advocacy — contributes to this change. The scale of the welfare challenge is immense, but so is the potential for improvement.

What You Can Do

Reduce consumption of animal products from intensive production systems, particularly factory-farmed chicken and pork
Support effective animal welfare organizations through regular donations — collective giving creates systemic change
Engage politically by contacting elected representatives about animal welfare legislation and food policy
Share accurate, evidence-based information about animal welfare to shift social norms and individual behavior