Jointly improving animal health and welfare in the transition of livestock systems towards sustainability

Abstract

This paper presents the work and research to be conducted to place health and welfare at the heart of the agroecological transition of livestock systems. It highlights the need to consider health in a broader perspective than today and the question of positive emotional experiences in terms of welfare. The positive interactions between health and welfare as well as the possible tensions between these two dimensions are discussed. The joint improvement of animal health and welfare raises questions at different scales. At the animal level, the trade-offs between the physiological functions of production, reproduction and immunity, the role of the microbiota as well as the psycho-neuro-endocrine mechanisms that link mental state and health need to be explored. At the farm level, it would be appropriate to consider the expertise of breeders and to assess the effect of changes in practices on their well-being at work. On production chain and territory levels strategies to improve animal health and welfare while preserving economic viability are to be studied, such as the possibility of labeling, consumers’ willingness to pay, the consequences of the phenotypic heterogeneity of animals for the processing of products and the spatial distribution of farms. On the citizens level, a challenge is to better link their concerns regarding animal welfare and health. These difficult issues plead for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research involving various scientific disciplines and the different stakeholders, including public policy makers through participatory research.