Welfare Hotspots Global Mapping Advanced

Systematic identification of where the worst animal welfare conditions are concentrated globally helps prioritise intervention for maximum impact.

Key Facts

Welfare hotspot mapping combines data on animal numbers, species and production conditions
Countries with high animal numbers and weak welfare laws are priority areas for intervention
Broiler and laying hen production in Asia represents a major global welfare hotspot
Aquaculture in Southeast Asia involves very large numbers of fish with minimal welfare standards
Farmed salmon welfare varies significantly between high-standard and low-standard producers
Wild animal suffering hotspots include areas of intensive deforestation and human-wildlife conflict

Welfare Considerations

Welfare hotspot mapping is a relatively new approach that applies geographic information and epidemiological thinking to welfare prioritisation. The premise is that limited advocacy and welfare improvement resources should be concentrated where they can improve welfare for the greatest number of animals. This requires combining data on animal numbers, species-specific welfare status in different production systems, and assessment of tractability for improvement. The approach is useful but depends on data quality which varies dramatically by region and species.

What You Can Do

Support organisations conducting systematic welfare hotspot analysis
Follow global welfare data initiatives and engage with their findings
Advocate for animal welfare data collection to be integrated into agricultural statistics
Apply hotspot thinking to personal and organisational welfare prioritisation decisions