Recommendations on Effects of Climate Change on the Spread and Emergence of Animal Diseases

·        Require consultation and guidance from welfare scientists and experts when drafting climate change policy, such as how to reduce green house gases emissions, agriculture management, mitigation strategies, and disaster response;

·        Include animal welfare policies in development programmes, compare these programmes to different climate change scenarios and include strategies for minimising the risk to animals from climate change; and

·        Conduct a thorough review of the impact of climate change on farm animals and their welfare, including increased risk of animal disease and starvation due to drought, and

-      Take into account the rights of indigenous, pastoralists and the principles of sustainable development.

Recommendations on Effects of Climate Change on Farm Animals and Their Caregivers

·        Require consultation and guidance from welfare scientists and experts when drafting climate change policy, such as how to reduce green house gases emissions, agriculture management, mitigation strategies, and disaster response;

·        Include animal welfare policies in development programmes, compare these programmes to different climate change scenarios and include strategies for minimising the risk to animals from climate change; and

·        Conduct a thorough review of the impact of climate change on farm animals and their welfare, including increased risk of animal disease and starvation due to drought.

Recommendations on Effects of Farm Animal Agriculture on Climate Change

·        Conduct a thorough review of the impact of the entire farm animal production sector on climate change and their wider societal impacts, including the impacts of the various types of production systems (e.g., extensive, industrial, indigenous, intensive);

·        Investigate the outcomes of shifting to more sustainable animal agriculture systems, such as organic or semi-intensive and the related effects on GHG emissions;

·        Include strategies on husbandry (feed, genetic makeup, lifespan), management system (organic, water-intensive extensive, housed), outputs (manure), and reducing the numbers of farm animals reared and killed for food production for cutting emissions on global, national, and regional scales;

·        Implement policies to reduce development and expansion of all animal agriculture systems;

·        Incorporate education in sustainable land use as a central part of poverty alleviation plans;

·        Encourage low-intensity/density farming system policies and strategies; and

Develop sustainable adaptation techniques and farming strategies in collaboration with farmers, agriculture extension agents, women’s groups, farm animal welfare experts and advocates, and political bodies.

Recommendations on Disaster Relief Programmes

·        Incorporate humanitarian animal relief bodies to improve response effectiveness and efficiency;

·        Incorporate risk reduction plans into poverty reduction policy;

·        Include early warning systems (e.g., Hyogo framework based) in the animal relief communities to prepare owners of animal populations;

·        Integrate veterinarians and animal protection experts in disaster assessment teams;

·        Conduct joint disaster trainings and exercises with humanitarian and animal protection experts;[i]

·        Require animal shelters and veterinary clinics to be wind and earthquake resistant and located at an appropriate distance from storm surge areas where possible.