Science, Society and the Future of Farm Animals
Animals farmed globally each year
Raised in intensive systems
Hens needing transition from cages in U.S.
Birds depopulated since 2022 due to disease
Imagine standing in a supermarket aisle, holding two cartons of eggs. One is labeled "cage-free," the other bears a cartoon of a happy chicken roaming on green grass. For most consumers, this is where their understanding of farm animal welfare begins and ends.
But behind these marketing terms lies a complex world where animal behavior science, agricultural economics, ethical philosophy, and consumer psychology converge.
Every year, approximately 70 billion animals are farmed globally for meat, milk, and eggs, with about two-thirds raised in intensive systems 1 .
Animal welfare is a critical component of food security, environmental sustainability, and human health 2 .
Recent years have witnessed a quiet revolution in how we think about the animals we raise for food. What was once solely the domain of animal rights activists has become a mainstream concern, driving policy changes, corporate commitments, and scientific innovation.
For decades, the dominant framework for understanding animal welfare was the Five Freedoms, developed in the 1960s. These include freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, and disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress 2 .
Today, scientists have expanded this concept to include positive experiences through the Five Domains Model, which encompasses nutrition, environment, health, behavior, and mental state 3 . This evolution reflects a crucial understanding: welfare isn't just about avoiding suffering but promoting positive states like comfort, pleasure, and engagement.
How do we objectively measure something as subjective as an animal's quality of life? Researchers have developed sophisticated tools like the Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG), which evaluates four key parameters: physical condition, behavioral/psychological state, environmental quality, and procedural challenges 3 .
This system generates a Cumulative Welfare Assessment Score that can track an animal's welfare throughout its lifetime, moving beyond simple snapshots to a comprehensive lifetime evaluation.
| Framework | Key Components | Focus | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five Freedoms (1960s) | Freedom from hunger/thirst, discomfort, pain/injury/disease, fear/distress; freedom to express normal behavior | Preventing negative experiences | Primarily reactive rather than proactive |
| Five Domains Model (Current) | Nutrition, environment, health, behavior, mental state | Balancing negative experiences with positive ones | More complex to assess comprehensively |
| Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (Emerging) | Physical, behavioral/psychological, environmental, procedural factors | Lifetime cumulative experience | Requires extensive data collection |
While much animal welfare research focuses on the animals themselves, a crucial 2021 study recognized that farmers are the key players in implementing welfare improvements.
Researchers designed a sophisticated choice experiment involving 242 German livestock farmers (147 cattle farmers and 95 pig farmers) to understand what really motivates them to participate in animal welfare programs 4 .
The researchers presented farmers with a series of hypothetical animal welfare schemes that varied across four key attributes:
Using conditional logit regression models, the researchers analyzed the farmers' choices to determine which factors most significantly influenced their decisions to participate.
The findings revealed critical insights that challenge conventional wisdom:
| Attribute | Cattle Farmers | Pig Farmers | Overall Importance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basis for Remuneration | Animal health | Animal health | Highest importance |
| Compensation Level | Higher compensation | Higher compensation | High importance |
| Commitment Period | Longer period (5 years) | Longer period (5 years) | Moderate importance |
| Funding Agency | Government | Government | Lower importance |
The study also uncovered differences between cattle and pig farmers in how they weighted various factors, suggesting that one-size-fits-all approaches to animal welfare programs are likely to be less effective than species-specific strategies 4 .
The economic dimension of animal welfare has become increasingly prominent since 2015-2016, when major corporations began making cage-free commitments with a typical 10-year implementation timeline 5 . These pledges are now coming due, creating a critical moment of accountability.
The results have been mixed. Companies like McDonald's have successfully met their targets ahead of schedule, while others like Walmart have fallen far short of their goals 5 . As of December 2024, approximately 121 million more hens needed to be transitioned out of cages in the U.S. alone to meet all collective corporate commitments 5 .
The corporate response has revealed a troubling lack of transparency in many cases. Some companies have deleted progress reports from their websites, while others have used recent avian flu outbreaks as justification for delayed implementation—despite having a decade to prepare 5 .
| Company | 2015 Pledge | 2025 Status | Transparency Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonald's | 100% cage-free by 2025 | Achieved goal 2 years early | High - clear reporting |
| Walmart | 100% cage-free by 2025 | Only 27% achieved in 2024 | Low - blamed supply chain |
| Kroger | 100% cage-free by 2025 | Expected to reach 70% by 2030 | Medium - partial reporting |
| Target | 100% cage-free by 2025 | Will not meet goal | Low - removed reporting statement |
| Whole Foods | 100% cage-free by 2025 | 100% store-brand eggs | High - fully cage-free |
From the producer side, the economic calculus is equally complex. Farmers balance consumer demand, implementation costs, and their own ethical values when making welfare decisions 6 .
Research shows that a farmer's willingness to adopt welfare improvements is influenced by their knowledge, empathy, personality values, and the strength of their human-animal bond 6 .
Economic advantages remain a powerful motivator, but they're not the only one. Effective communication with veterinarians and agricultural advisors, along with manageable time and labor requirements, also significantly influence farmers' decisions to implement welfare improvements 6 .
The year 2025 has proven to be a pivotal one for animal welfare policy. Confinement bans took effect in Colorado and Michigan, benefiting over 12 million birds annually 7 .
Similar legislation has been introduced in Maryland, New York, Tennessee, and Vermont, indicating growing momentum across both politically liberal and conservative states 7 .
Confinement bans take effect, benefiting 12M+ birds annually
Governor delays cage-free implementation until 2034
Passes legislation allowing suspension of cage-free sales during emergencies
However, this progress has faced significant headwinds. The ongoing avian flu outbreak has been used to justify delays and suspensions of welfare regulations.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs delayed implementation of the state's cage-free egg law until 2034, while Nevada passed legislation allowing temporary suspension of its cage-free sales ban during emergencies 7 .
Agricultural industry groups have also advanced countermeasures in several states, with "ag-gag" and "right-to-farm" legislation passing in South Dakota, North Dakota, and Vermont 7 .
These laws typically reduce transparency and accountability for large-scale farming operations.
At the federal level, advocates are pushing for the SAVE Our Poultry Act and the Avian Influenza Vaccination Strategy Act, which would advance research into HPAI vaccination and develop a comprehensive vaccination strategy 8 .
Such measures could potentially reduce the massive depopulations—over 174 million birds since 2022—that have occurred during disease outbreaks, often using inhumane methods like ventilation shutdown plus heat (VSD+) that cause death by heatstroke 8 .
The challenges in farm animal welfare have spurred innovative approaches across multiple sectors:
Veterinarians and animal welfare experts are advocating for nitrogen-based methods as more humane alternatives to heatstroke-based depopulation during disease outbreaks 8 .
Research initiatives are exploring how genetic selection can prioritize welfare traits alongside production characteristics.
Technology-enabled welfare monitoring systems using sensors and AI are making comprehensive assessment more feasible and accurate.
A growing recognition of the interconnections between animal welfare, human health, and environmental sustainability—the One Health approach—is shaping modern solutions 2 .
This perspective acknowledges that improving animal welfare can reduce zoonotic disease risks, mitigate antimicrobial resistance, and create more resilient food systems.
| Tool Category | Specific Examples | Application in Welfare Science |
|---|---|---|
| Behavioral Assessment | Abnormal behavior scoring, social interaction mapping, preference testing | Understanding psychological needs and emotional states |
| Physical Health Measures | Lameness scoring, integument alteration recording, body condition scoring | Tracking physical health beyond basic survival |
| Environmental Monitoring | Air quality sensors, space allowance calculations, enrichment assessment | Evaluating housing quality and its impact on welfare |
| Farmer Engagement Tools | Choice experiments, surveys, interviews | Understanding implementation barriers and motivations |
The journey toward improved farm animal welfare is complex and multifaceted, spanning scientific research, economic systems, policy frameworks, and individual consumer choices.
What emerges clearly is that there are no simple solutions, but meaningful progress is possible when stakeholders collaborate with shared purpose.
The scientific foundations for understanding animal welfare have never been stronger, with sophisticated frameworks moving beyond basic physical needs to encompass emotional wellbeing and lifetime experience.
Economic mechanisms are evolving to reward better practices, while policy changes are creating stronger baseline standards.
The conversation around farm animal welfare is shifting from a niche concern to a mainstream consideration recognized as integral to sustainable food systems.
As we move forward, the words of Josh Balk of The Accountability Board ring true: "Preventing an animal from turning around for months on end is animal cruelty" 5 . The question remains: how will we respond as consumers, as citizens, and as a society? The answer will be written in the lives of billions of animals and the health of our planet for generations to come.