Animal Welfare: A Cornerstone of Livestock Production and Global Well-Being
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Animal Welfare: A Cornerstone of Livestock Production and Global Well-Being

Posted Jan 24th, 2025 in Africa, Asia, Country, Featured, News, Stories, VETS

This blog highlights how animal welfare underpins livestock productivity, global sustainability, and resilience. It explores how poor welfare increases zoonotic risks and threatens livelihoods while showcasing Veterinarians Without Borders’ (VWBs') One Health approach. Through veterinary training, disease prevention, and farmer empowerment, VWB fosters healthier animals, people, and ecosystems.

Animal welfare is more than an ethical concern—it is a critical component of global food security, public health, and economic stability. For billions of people worldwide, livestock provide essential nutrition, livelihoods, and a safety net in times of crisis. Yet, ensuring the well-being of these animals is often overlooked, despite its central role in sustainable development and community resilience.

At its core, animal welfare is about ensuring that animals can live healthy, stress-free lives, enabling them to thrive and, in turn, support the people who depend on them. For organizations like Veterinarians Without Borders (VWB), this is not a peripheral concern—it’s a foundational principle.

The Interconnectedness of Animal Welfare and Livestock Productivity

Livestock are not machines; they are sentient beings whose health and productivity are deeply influenced by how they are treated. Neglecting animal welfare leads to a cascade of negative outcomes: decreased productivity, higher disease rates, and economic strain for families who rely on livestock for their livelihoods.

PHOTO: Dairy farmer, Moffat Mugambi, in Lower Kithangari, Meru, Kenya has received training in animal health, nutrition, productivity and biosecurity through VWB's VETS program.

The internationally recognized “Five Freedoms” framework provides the foundation for understanding and improving animal welfare. These are:

  1. Freedom from hunger and thirst: Access to clean water and nutritious food is essential for maintaining health and productivity.
  2. Freedom from discomfort: Proper housing, protection from extreme weather, and clean-living conditions are vital.
  3. Freedom from pain, injury, or disease: Preventive healthcare and timely veterinary treatment are crucial to animal well-being.
  4. Freedom to express normal behavior: Adequate space and opportunities for natural behavior promote physical and mental health.
  5. Freedom from fear and distress: Humane handling and management reduce stress and ensure better outcomes for animals and their owners.

This framework underscores how each aspect of animal welfare directly influences productivity. For example, well-fed cows produce more milk, while poultry raised in low-stress environments lay more eggs. These outcomes are not coincidental—they are a direct result of prioritizing welfare.

The Costs of Neglecting Animal Welfare

When animal welfare is compromised, the consequences extend beyond individual farms. Poor housing and sanitation increase disease risks, threatening entire livestock populations. In areas with improper antimicrobial use, animals may develop drug-resistant infections, jeopardizing both agricultural and public health systems.

PHOTO: Mother and small-scale farmer, Achan Malek, in Aweil East, South Sudan, at a vaccination campaign by VWB and partners in September 2024.

Neglecting welfare also amplifies the risk of zoonotic diseases—illnesses that spread between animals and humans. Diseases like brucellosis, anthrax, and rabies flourish in conditions where animal welfare is ignored. For example:

  • Brucellosis: This bacterial disease spreads through contaminated milk or direct contact with infected animals. Poor hygiene and lack of preventive measures exacerbate its transmission, posing risks to both livestock productivity and human health.
  • Anthrax: Poorly managed carcass disposal and inadequate vaccination programs allow anthrax spores to persist in the environment, threatening grazing animals and nearby communities.
  • Rabies: Insufficient vaccination in dogs and other animals leads to spillover into human populations, particularly in rural areas where healthcare access is limited.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the importance of monitoring and improving animal health to prevent future outbreaks. Evidence suggests that zoonotic pathogens emerge more frequently in stressed and overcrowded animal populations, making welfare a critical line of defense against global health crises.

Animal Welfare and Sustainability

Sustainability in livestock production hinges on animal welfare. Practices that prioritize the well-being of animals are inherently more sustainable, as they reduce waste, improve resource efficiency, and minimize the environmental impact of farming. For instance:

  • Proper nutrition reduces feed waste and ensures optimal growth rates.
  • Disease prevention through vaccination and biosecurity reduces the need for antibiotics, mitigating antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
  • Humane farming systems reduce greenhouse gas emissions by ensuring healthy animals that require fewer resources to reach maturity.

The link between welfare and AMR is particularly critical. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in stressed and poorly managed livestock accelerate the development of resistant bacteria. These bacteria can transfer to humans through direct contact, food consumption, or environmental pathways. Addressing welfare thus contributes to mitigating one of the most pressing public health challenges of our time.

Ethical and Social Dimensions of Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is also a matter of ethics and social justice. Livestock are more than economic assets; they are integral to cultural traditions and community identities in many parts of the world. Treating animals humanely reflects respect for these traditions while fostering stronger bonds between humans and animals.

Moreover, improving welfare has a direct impact on gender equity. In many rural communities, women bear the primary responsibility for caring for livestock. Providing training and resources to enhance welfare not only benefits the animals but also empowers women, improving their livelihoods and social standing.

PHOTO: Ruth Wakariti, a Lead Farmer in Nyeri County, Kenya, shares her VETS program skills with neighbors, building a network of empowered women farmers.

Addressing Global Challenges with Animal Welfare

The challenges of the 21st century—climate change, population growth, and the increasing demand for food—require innovative solutions, and animal welfare must be part of the equation. Here’s why:

  • Climate resilience: Animals in good health are better equipped to cope with extreme weather events, reducing losses during droughts, floods, or heatwaves.
  • Food security: Healthy animals produce more reliable and higher-quality food supplies, ensuring better nutrition for families.
  • Economic stability: Livestock are often a family’s most valuable asset, and improving welfare safeguards these investments.

Practical Approaches to Improving Animal Welfare

Improving animal welfare requires a multi-faceted approach that combines education, infrastructure, and veterinary care. Key strategies include:

  • Training farmers in humane handling, proper nutrition, and disease prevention.
  • Strengthening veterinary systems to provide accessible, affordable care in rural areas.
  • Developing better housing and equipment, such as ventilated shelters and clean feeding systems.
  • Encouraging community engagement to address welfare as a shared responsibility.

Governments and NGOs also play a critical role by enacting policies that prioritize welfare and providing funding for welfare-focused initiatives.

PHOTO: Dr. Muller Fotsac (DVM), a VETS volunteer in Kenya, delivering cow feed and hygiene training to 30 dairy farmers in Matuntukine Village, Kenya.

Animal Welfare as a Central Pillar of VWB’s Mission

Veterinarians Without Borders recognizes the essential role of animal welfare in sustainable development, human well-being, and environmental health. By combining veterinary expertise with a One Health approach, VWB delivers transformative, locally tailored solutions that prioritize animal well-being and strengthen communities.

Programs like VETS (Volunteers Engaged in Gender-Responsive Technical Solutions) deliver veterinary training and support in Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya, Laos, Senegal, and Vietnam. Through humane handling, improved nutrition, and disease prevention, VWB empowers farmers—especially women—to boost productivity and build resilience. For example, partnerships with Wakulima and Meru Dairies in Kenya have significantly enhanced dairy cattle health, improving both livelihoods and gender equity within the dairy value chain.

In South Sudan, VWB strengthens pastoralist communities by addressing zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance through the training of Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) and promoting sustainable livestock practices. Similarly, the AGROW program in Cambodia equips women with tools for green agriculture and livestock management, improving animal care, food security, and household incomes.

PHOTO: Ho Penh of Chamkar O Village, Cambodia, gained holistic training in livestock health, sustainable agriculture, One Health, and gender equality through AGROW.

Additionally, VWB’s Northern Animal Health Initiative in Canada supports underserved Indigenous communities by enhancing the welfare of companion animals through vaccination and sterilization clinics. In crisis settings like the conflict in Ukraine, VWB provides emergency veterinary care and supplies, protecting pets, livestock, and wildlife while supporting the livelihoods of those affected.

From disease prevention to emergency response, VWB consistently places animal welfare at the heart of its work, ensuring healthier animals, stronger communities, and a more resilient planet.

Join Us in Promoting Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is a cornerstone of global resilience and sustainability. Healthier animals lead to better livelihoods, stronger communities, and a safer, more equitable food system. Donatevolunteer, or subscribe to improve the lives of animals, the families who depend on them, and the environments they share.

Together, we can build a future defined by compassion, resilience, and balance.

References:

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