Welfare Science

One Health Framework and Animal Welfare

The One Health approach recognises that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected and must be addressed together.

Key Facts

Over 70% of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals
Poor farm animal welfare increases infection risk and antibiotic resistance
Wildlife health monitoring provides early warning of zoonotic disease emergence
One Health initiatives include antimicrobial stewardship, habitat protection, and welfare improvement
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased attention to human-animal disease interfaces

Welfare Considerations

One Health explicitly links animal welfare to human health outcomes. Improving farm animal welfare reduces disease risk, antibiotic use, and pandemic potential - creating benefits for both animals and people.

What You Can Do

Support One Health initiatives that integrate animal welfare into disease prevention
Advocate for animal welfare as a core component of global health policy
Reduce consumption of factory-farmed products associated with antibiotic overuse
Support organisations working at the human-animal-environment health interface
Learn about antimicrobial resistance and its links to farm animal welfare