One Health recognizes that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected. Animal welfare improvements generate co-benefits for human health and ecosystem resilience, strengthening the case for welfare investment.
The One Health framework transforms animal welfare from a purely ethical issue into a human health investment. High-welfare farming systems are less likely to generate pandemic-capable pathogens, require fewer antibiotics, and produce healthier animals. When welfare advocates frame their arguments in One Health terms, they access new audiences, funding streams, and policy mechanisms. The alignment of animal welfare with human health interests creates political space for reforms that pure ethics arguments have failed to achieve.