Daniela Romero Waldhorn, member of the COMPASS research team, of the UPF-Centre for Aimal Ethics and Head of Research Department at Rehink Priorities, presented her research at the Animal Advocacy Conference 2023 held in the University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom, from 22-24 June 2023.

Abstract: Animals used for food production are vastly more numerous than animals used for any other purpose. However, there are big differences in the scale of how different animal species are exploited by the food system. In this talk, recent and original estimates of animals used for food are presented, covering numbers of individuals killed and alive on farms at any moment.

This data, along with further evidence on animal welfare, suggests that there are reasons to believe that the use of invertebrates for food production might be particularly important. Despite the above, this issue has been hitherto greatly neglected. Further research and efforts into invertebrate welfare might have a greater positive impact than addressing other animal welfare issues.