Animal Welfare and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Area of Science:

• Agricultural and veterinary sciences
• Environmental science
• Animal welfare science

Background:

• The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a global framework for development.
• Animal welfare is a critical consideration for ethical and sustainable practices.
• The explicit integration of animal welfare within the SDGs requires systematic evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically assess the compatibility between achieving the UN SDGs and improving animal welfare.
• To identify specific SDGs and targets that have the strongest links to animal welfare.
• To evaluate the mutual reinforcing potential between animal welfare improvements and SDG achievement.

Main Methods:

• A group of 12 academic participants from agricultural and veterinary sciences discussed and scored the links between SDGs and animal welfare.
• A 7-point scale was used to quantify the strength of compatibility.
• All animal categories were considered: food production, working, companion, laboratory, and wild animals.

Main Results:

• Overall positive consensus indicated compatibility between achieving SDGs and improving animal welfare.
• SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water) showed the strongest mutual reinforcement with animal welfare.
• 66 out of 169 SDG targets were identified as relevant to animal welfare.

Conclusions:

• There is a mutually beneficial relationship between improving animal welfare and achieving SDGs.
• Highlighting these links is crucial for practical SDG implementation.
• Further research with diverse stakeholders is recommended to validate findings.