Indoor air quality in livestock facilities directly affects animal health and welfare through ammonia, dust, and pathogen exposure.
Air quality welfare in livestock buildings is invisible to consumers but experienced as chronic respiratory irritation by millions of animals. Ammonia at concentrations found in many livestock buildings causes the equivalent of living with continuous mild chemical burns to the respiratory tract. The chronic inflammation this produces has welfare and health consequences that compound over the animal's productive life. Ventilation investment is economically rational as well as welfare-positive — high ammonia environments increase disease treatment costs and reduce growth efficiency. Welfare standards that require air quality monitoring and maximum ammonia concentrations in livestock buildings create incentives for the infrastructure investment needed.