The link between animal welfare and issues like climate change may not be as well known as the impacts of fossil fuels, but they are remarkably simple to illustrate.

The livestock sector alone, for example, is responsible for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions, and this will only get worse as global meat and milk production is projected to double by 2050. Put another way, some experts say we can do more to combat climate change by not eating as much meat as by driving electric cars. And there is a clear link between the risk of spreading a pandemic “bird flu” and extreme factory farming practices, like packing hens together in tiny battery cages.

Dr. Appleby was the keynote speaker at an international conference that addressed some of these issues. Dr. Appleby – who is based in London – was in Toronto on April 27 and April 28 to participate in interviews prior to the conference.

By modifying our farming practices and incorporating animal welfare, we could help the planet, ourselves and our fellow creatures, says Appleby. “We need to take a biological approach to people, animals and the environment, not a technological one,” he says.

from our good friends at: http://wspa.ca/