Economic arguments for improved animal welfare are increasingly influential in policy and corporate decision-making. Understanding the evidence helps advocates make effective arguments.
The welfare economics literature reveals that the assumption 'welfare improvements are too expensive' is often incorrect. Better managed animals - with adequate space, enrichment, and appropriate husbandry - frequently show improved feed conversion, lower mortality, and reduced medication costs. However, welfare economists also emphasise that the full costs of poor welfare are externalised onto animals who bear the suffering while companies capture the profit. True cost accounting frameworks that internalise animal suffering as a genuine economic cost represent the most compelling long-term case for systemic improvement.