Farmed Animals

Livestock Feed and Welfare Connections

What farm animals eat directly affects their health, behaviour, and welfare throughout their lives.

Key Facts

Grain-heavy diets cause digestive problems in cattle evolved to eat grass
Fast-growing broilers are bred to eat continuously, causing chronic joint and organ stress
Tryptophan deficiency in pig diets increases aggression and tail-biting
Nutrient deficiencies are a major cause of metabolic disease in dairy cows
Forage-based diets for ruminants support both welfare and environmental outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Feed composition and management profoundly affect farm animal welfare in ways that extend far beyond nutrition. Diets that do not match animals' evolutionary adaptations cause widespread metabolic, behavioural, and structural health problems. Aligning feed with natural needs is a key welfare priority.

What You Can Do

Support pasture-raised and grass-fed production systems
Advocate for research into nutritionally optimal diets for farm animal species
Choose welfare-certified products that specify feed quality standards
Support policy change toward forage-based livestock systems