How intensive animal agriculture creates conditions for zoonotic disease emergence and why this connects human and animal welfare.
Zoonotic disease emergence from intensive animal agriculture represents a convergence of animal welfare and human health concerns. The conditions that create welfare problems in intensive livestock - crowding, stress, antimicrobial overuse - also create conditions that favour pathogen amplification and evolution. Improving animal welfare in livestock production simultaneously reduces zoonotic risk, creating a powerful aligned argument for welfare reform.