The World Animal Protection embarked on the first study that links factory farming to climate change. Findings from the study suggests that, higher welfare production for pigs leads to slightly less climate change impacts than conventional production. Animals in higher welfare systems are healthier and can use energy from their feed to grow, rather than fight disease. This means less feed is needed, and there is less climate and environmental impact. Further, manure from pigs in higher welfare systems also emits less methane, a potential greenhouse gas.

For meat chickens, higher welfare production leads to slightly more climate change impacts than conventional production. The main reason for this is that higher welfare chickens are often slower growing breeds, rather than breeds engineered to reach consumption weight quickly. The latter require more food over the course of their lives compared to the former. However, this does not shift the moral responsibility to treat animals well. Climate benefits need to be sought without compromising animal welfare.

Again, fast growing chickens often suffer from painful, sometimes crippling leg disorders. This is because, their legs cannot keep pace with the rapid body growth. The report suggests that if higher welfare breeds of meat chickens were to be fed diets adjusted for the needs of their breed, then the climate change impact is likely to decrease.

The primary motive of factory farmers remains to produce animal products on large scale and make profits all year round. Issues of welfare of farmed animals are mostly ignored or least considered. For instance, meat chickens exist squashed up against tens of thousands of other chickens. They are left with no room to flap their wings or perch like they would naturally. On a typical pig factory farm, a mother pig lives her life in a cage, unable to turn around. Out of frustration, she often resorts to biting the steel bars around her, causing injuries. Her piglets are stripped from her as early as 21 days old, their tails and teeth are cut and males are castrated.

Contrary to what the industry claims, the report from the World Animal Protection- Africa suggests that the welfare of animals must be treated with high importance. It notes that enforcing higher animal welfare standards would end the worst cruelty in factory farming. Higher welfare production would get mother pigs out of cages and into groups with bedding, giving piglets more time with their mothers before weaning, and ending painful mutilations. Meat chickens would not have to live crowded together denied of the freedom to exhibit their sentience.

Higher welfare production would also mean less animal death or injury prior to slaughter. Low welfare farming leads to poor quality meat and injuries lead to bruising. Low quality meat does not reach the consumer. Hence, such meat is wasted just as the climate cost of its production is wasted.