Animal welfare improvements are often dismissed as economically unaffordable. The evidence tells a more nuanced story - many welfare improvements are cost-neutral or economically beneficial, while others require modest price increases.
The economic framing of animal welfare as an unaffordable luxury reflects a false accounting that ignores the costs of poor welfare. Stressed animals produce less. Sick animals require expensive treatment. Poor welfare drives antibiotic use that creates resistance costs borne by society. The direct welfare improvement costs are often modest when amortized over production volumes. The cage-free transition that seemed economically daunting in 2012 has been implemented by hundreds of major companies without the predicted market disruption. The welfare movement has learned to engage with economic arguments on their own terms - and the evidence supports welfare improvement as economically feasible.