Animal advocacy in Zimbabwe (Animal Ask)
We have a responsibility to care for the animals in our care and to provide them with the conditions necessary for their welfare. Animal welfare is also important for agricultural productivity, as higher-welfare conditions typically means mortality is lower. This can help alleviate food scarcity. Human and environmental health can also benefit from higher animal welfare.
In this report, we focus on animal welfare in Zimbabwe. We have identified four high-priority opportunities for improving animal welfare:
- Including fish welfare in the aquaculture law
- Preventing industrialised animal farming
- Umbrella animal welfare legislation
- Expanding plant-based outreach
All of these priorities appear to be very strong - even in the face of uncertainty, we would expect each of these priorities to be capable of improving the lives of millions of farmed animals. These priorities can be selected and adapted based on on-the-ground conditions, which could include existing welfare conditions, the policy landscape, and stakeholder views. We have illustrated how an ask could be chosen based on the policy landscape and stakeholder views - see the below flowchart.
We have also identified a number of smaller opportunities: improving chicken welfare; reducing tick-borne diseases in cattle; and improving pig welfare.