Welfare Science

Animal Welfare and Climate-Smart Livestock Farming

Integrating animal welfare improvements with climate-smart livestock farming to deliver co-benefits.

Key Facts

Healthier animals produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions per unit of product
Longer-lived dairy cows have lower lifetime carbon footprints
Precision feeding reduces methane and nitrous oxide while improving welfare
High welfare outdoor systems may have different climate profiles than indoor alternatives
Integrated approaches can achieve welfare and climate goals simultaneously

Welfare Considerations

Climate-smart livestock farming and animal welfare improvement are often complementary, with health and longevity improvements delivering both welfare and environmental benefits.

What You Can Do

Support research into welfare and climate co-benefit farming approaches
Advocate for integrated welfare and climate standards in agricultural policy
Choose products from farms recognised for both welfare and sustainability performance