Welfare Science and Policy

Farm Animal Welfare Education Programmes

Welfare education for farmers, stockpeople and consumers produces lasting attitude and behaviour change, making it a high-leverage investment for long-term welfare improvement.

Key Facts

Attitudinal surveys show farmer welfare knowledge gaps correlate with poorer welfare outcomes
Stockperson welfare training has been shown to reduce animal fear and improve performance
Agricultural college curricula vary widely in welfare science coverage across countries
Consumer welfare education shifts purchasing behaviour more effectively when linked to specific action choices
Train-the-trainer models enable welfare education to scale without proportional resource increases

Welfare Considerations

Education is a force multiplier for welfare improvement - a trained stockperson, an informed consumer, or a welfare-aware vet each generate benefits across many animals over their career.

What You Can Do

Support agricultural colleges in developing welfare-centred curricula
Advocate for mandatory welfare training for all farm licence holders
Share evidence-based welfare educational content through consumer and agricultural networks