21 July 2025

This briefing is based on a webinar discussion with Gareth Arnott and Francesca Johansen, given to the AFN Network+ community on the 23rd May 2025. It is collated and written by Nina Pullman, food systems writer for AFN, and edited by Jez Fredenburgh, knowledge exchange fellow for AFN; the transcript has been lightly edited to paraphrase in parts. You can also watch the webinar.

About the webinar topic:

The conversation about a food system transition is becoming louder – but animal welfare is not always getting much of a hearing. What then, might a food system transition mean for the animals in the farmed system? What opportunities might there be to enhance welfare? But what, too, might be traded off in a transition, and would these be morally or practically acceptable? How might the focus on net zero as a goal, impact animal welfare, compared to a more holistic but less focused transition?

The speakers cover the following points:

• An overview of trade-offs and opportunities for animal welfare with a focus on net zero, or more widely food system transformation
• Impact of different food system transitions on animal welfare & net zero (intensive & efficient versus extensive & regenerative)
• Moral questions around what trade offs are acceptable/not
• The link between human health/wellbeing and animal health/wellbeing
• Gaps in research/questions raised

About Gareth Arnott:

Gareth Arnott is a Professor in animal behaviour and welfare within the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast. He leads the BBSRC-funded Animal Welfare Research Network and is a member of the UK government’s Animal Welfare Committee.

Gareth is a behavioural biologist whose research interests span from fundamental behavioural ecology through to applied animal welfare. He has pioneered an approach of using principles from behavioural ecology to address applied animal welfare issues, including aggression. Gareth has worked on a number of farm animal welfare topics across a range of species.

About Francesca Johansen:

Francesca Johansen is a Research Officer in the Pig and Poultry Development Department at Teagasc, Ireland. Her work is currently focused on creating a framework for sustainability assessment where animal welfare is considered on an equal level to environmental, social, and economic sustainability.

She submitted her PhD thesis on dairy cow behaviour and welfare in spring of 2025, and has previously also worked with extensively managed beef cattle.