The role of non-human animals in the food system is more fiercely contested now than ever before. Deep chasms exist between different actors’ visions of the future and their acceptance of the present. What some view as moral outrages, others see as valued traditions, wellsprings of pride and identity, honed crafts, sources of indispensable nutrients, and so much more; intersections with other issues (environmental harms, rural economies, development and poverty) add still further tension. It is a difficult knot to untangle. Reflecting and contributing to these radical differences in positions, stakeholders in these debates work within varied frameworks. For philosophers of animal ethics, these are fundamentally moral questions that must be answered by direct engagement with our value systems. For animal welfare scientists, we can move forward by deepening our empirically-based understanding of other animals’ lives. For farmers, fishers, and others practically engaged in producing animal foods, too little attention is paid to the moral authority gained from daily working alongside other animals and understanding intuitively what is and is not good practice.In this explainer, we explore the paradigms and arguments surrounding animal ethics and animal welfare. We investigate how and why different disciplines frame the debate differently, the range of positions, and whether any areas of agreement might signal pathways to progress. https://www.doi.org/10.56661/f2d8f4c7

Should we eat meat, eggs, dairy and other animal-sourced foods? If so, how should we produce them and how much should we eat? If not, what should we eat instead? These are just some of the more contentious debates about the future of food systems.This Explainer summarises some of the key debates about livestock and its alternatives and describes both the arguments and the evidence underpinning different points of view. We look both at foodstuffs (meat, fish, plants and new foods based on cells grown in bioreactors) and farming methods (both intensive and extensive) with regards to discussions about their environmental, health and social impacts. In so doing, we explore the assumptions and values that often lead stakeholders to differing conclusions about what a sustainable food system looks like.https://doi.org/10.56661/2caf9b92