Bison farming is expanding as a sustainable beef alternative, but welfare standards specific to this semi-wild species require development to reflect their unique behavioural and physiological needs.
Bison farming welfare is complicated by the partially wild nature of this species. Bison have not undergone the centuries of selective breeding for docility that domestic cattle breeds have experienced, and they retain strong flight responses, herding instincts, and stress reactions that make conventional cattle husbandry inappropriate. Attempting to manage bison with cattle-scale intensive handling causes extreme acute stress with risk of injury to both animals and handlers. Welfare-positive bison farming requires large pastures, minimal unnecessary human contact, low-stress handling system design, and acceptance of lower production intensity than domestic cattle systems. The welfare of individual bison during necessary handling events requires particular attention and low-stress technique adoption.