Animal welfare, net zero & the food transition – trade-offs & opportunities
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?
Our speakers dig into all of this for us, including;
- 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 v extensive & regenerative)
- Moral questions around what trade offs are acceptable/not
- The link between human health/wellbeing and animal health/wellbeing
- The three sustainability pillars and where animal welfare sits
- Gaps in research/ questions raised
About Gareth
Dr Gareth Arnott is a Reader 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
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.
Animal welfare links
Animal Welfare Research Network (AWRN) https://awrn.co.uk/
AWRN conference, Bristol, September 2025 https://awrn.co.uk/event/ninth-annual-meeting-of-the-awrn/
EU partnership on animal health and welfare https://www.eupahw.eu/
Claire Whittle, Can Regenerative Agriculture improve the health and welfare of livestock?
Trade-offs in the externalities of pig production are not inevitable
About this webinar series
This webinar is part of a monthly series run by AFN Network+ which explores net zero in the UK agri-food system with leading movers and shakers. Expect deep and varied insight from across the sector, including farmers, scientists, policy analysts, community leaders, retailers, politicians, businesses and health professionals. The series is organised by Jez Fredenburgh our Knowledge Exchange Fellow, with oversight from Prof Neil Ward, AFN Co-lead and Professor of Rural and Regional Development. Jez and Neil are based in the School of Environmental Sciences, and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, at the University of East Anglia.
