Asian Livestock Industry Leaders' Perceptions of the Importance of, and Solutions for, Animal Welfare Issues

Simple Summary Livestock industry leaders are in a unique position to understand the challenges to the welfare of farm animals and to enact solutions that improve the lives of the animals they work with. Despite this, these important stakeholders are seldom consulted in this regard and their attitudes and opinions on animal welfare issues are largely unknown. This is particularly the case when considering livestock stakeholders in Asia and the previous lack of collaboration with international animal welfare advocates. To address this, focus group consultation sessions were organised across six countries; China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, aiming to better understand the positions of livestock industry leaders, and to consult them on potential initiatives to improve livestock welfare in their country. This study presents a ranking of animal welfare issues by importance as considered by livestock leaders, solutions and opportunities identified by the leaders, and suggests initiatives proposed in each country. This study aims to better inform international animal welfare strategies in order to facilitate the development of the most effective programs and initiatives. Abstract The welfare of farm animals has been the focus of increasing international interest, however, the movement has had little engagement with livestock leaders who are, arguably, the stakeholders in the position most able to make decisions that impact on animal welfare at critical times. Previous studies have drawn attention to the need to engage in constructive collaborations with the livestock industry for the betterment of animal welfare, and to uncover mutual benefits for both stakeholders and proponents of animal welfare with which collaborations can be motivated. This study aimed to continue this need to understand leaders in livestock management, by consulting their opinions as to what constitutes the most critical animal welfare issues during farming and slaughter, and what they see as some of the solutions to begin addressing livestock welfare issues in their country. Seventeen focus group sessions were held with 139 leaders in livestock industries in six diverse countries in Asia, including China, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Bangladesh. Leaders included government representatives, key academics in agriculture, and business managers and leaders within the domestic animal agriculture industries, as relevant to each country. After conducting thematic analysis and applying basic statistical measures, the findings suggest that solutions within the themes of education, training, and awareness are most valued. However, how each of these could be best addressed varied by country. The need for local research and local solutions also contributed to the most frequent opportunities, as did the requirement for prescriptive and consistent standards and expectations. A ranking of animal welfare issues is presented, as is a selection of suggested animal welfare initiatives resulting from the findings of this study.