Animal Agriculture and Animal Welfare: An Essay on How They Benefit Each Other in the Twenty-First Century

In recent years, animal welfare has become more important to consumers, both in the U.S. and in many other developed (and also in some developing) countries. I make this distinction because some commentators have postulated that only in societies with enough wealth and leisure do issues like animal welfare even arise. In addition, animal welfare and its relationship to animal agriculture have become part of the “environmental/sustainability” dialog that is characterizing the larger social/political fabric of twenty-rst century living.