The COVID-19 pandemic revealed connections between intensive animal farming, zoonotic disease emergence and animal welfare, while also demonstrating the animal welfare consequences of human crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic provided multiple lessons about the relationship between human and animal welfare. The likely emergence of the virus at a human-animal interface, the devastating mass cullings on mink farms when the virus spread to commercial fur animals, and the companion animal surrender crisis when owners could no longer afford or manage pets — all illustrated how human crises translate into animal welfare emergencies. The pandemic also demonstrated the fragility of industrial food systems and their capacity to generate animal welfare crises when disrupted. The One Health framework connecting human, animal and environmental health provides the conceptual basis for reforms that would simultaneously reduce pandemic risk and improve animal welfare.