ABSTRACT
World economics is changing from a push economy, driven by producers, to a pull economy, driven by consumers demanding transparency and refusing to buy unacceptable products. Also, attitudes to non-human species are changing as it is difficult to find anything unique to humans. There is only one biology, one health and one welfare, the words meaning the same when applied to humans or other animal species.
Most people think that sustainability of systems and products is important, that sustainability has many components and that the welfare of animals is a key part of sustainability. When evaluating sustainability, a science-based scoring system, taking account of all components, can produce a total score. Regeneration is possible if areas of land or sea are made less biodiverse because of human activity. The best systems for food production are much more sustainable than the worst. The best for beef are better than for other meats and some plant products. Chickens and pigs are fed grain and soya that could be human food and the worst animal welfare problem is leg disorder in meat chickens. Other foods for these animals and other keeping systems are more sustainable but great changes in food production are needed.
