Farm Animal Research Priorities Advanced

Strategic research prioritisation in farm animal welfare maximises the impact of limited research funding on the most welfare-relevant questions.

Key Facts

Farm animal welfare research funding is estimated at a fraction of companion animal research investment relative to animal numbers
Priority-setting exercises involve expert consensus, animal number weighting, and severity assessment
Fish sentience evidence gaps are the most significant knowledge deficit in current welfare science
Insect welfare has grown rapidly as a research priority with expansion of insect farming
Applied research on practical welfare interventions has higher impact potential than basic science alone

Welfare Considerations

Research prioritisation determines which animals benefit from welfare science and on what timescale; directing funding toward the most numerous, most poorly understood, and most intensively farmed species is an ethical imperative.

What You Can Do

Support welfare research funding bodies that use evidence-based prioritisation
Engage with priority-setting exercises run by BBSRC, NC3Rs, and welfare organisations
Advocate for farm animal welfare research investment proportionate to animal numbers and suffering