Animal Welfare, Health and the Fight against Climate Change: One Solution for Global Objectives

Abstract

Climate change is internationally recognized as a source of concern by governments, scientists and public opinion. In this context, the need to find concrete solutions becomes increasingly urgent. Numerous economic sectors contribute to alteration of climate, especially livestock and, more generally, food production-related activities. For this reason, animal welfare policies, the complex of norms and regulations adopted by single Member States and the European Union in the field of meat production, could be a useful instrument in the climate transition invoked by policy makers and scientists. The aim of this paper was to analyze the current system of animal welfare from a legal and veterinary perspective, and to demonstrate how important and useful, it could be in the fight against climate change; at least if correctly implemented and applied.