Welfare Science

Farm Animal Welfare Science Priority Setting

Strategic priority setting in farm animal welfare research is essential to direct limited resources where they will have the greatest welfare impact.

Key Facts

Welfare science resources are limited relative to the scale of farm animal suffering
Priority setting should consider number of animals affected, severity of harm, and tractability of solutions
Pigs, broilers, and laying hens affect the most animals in the highest-welfare-concern systems globally
Aquatic animal welfare is a growing priority given the enormous numbers of fish farmed
Effective advocacy requires understanding where welfare improvements are most achievable

Welfare Considerations

Not all welfare interventions are equal in their impact. Prioritising research and advocacy efforts requires difficult but necessary judgements about where improvements will reduce the most suffering for the most animals. Systematic priority setting frameworks help direct limited welfare science resources toward the highest-impact areas, whether measured by scale, severity, or tractability of improvement.

What You Can Do

Support welfare research organisations that use systematic priority-setting frameworks
Engage with evidence on the relative scale of different farm animal welfare problems
Advocate for welfare science funding to be directed toward high-priority, high-impact areas