Animal Welfare - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health

We can use animals for food, research, or companionship, but we have a "contractual" obligation to ensure they do not suffer. The Nuance:

The relationship between humans and animals has evolved dramatically over millennia—from domestication for labor and food to modern debates about personhood and legal protection. Two primary frameworks guide this relationship today: and Animal Rights . While often used interchangeably in public discourse, they represent distinct ethical positions with different goals, methods, and endpoints. Understanding both is essential for policymakers, farmers, scientists, and consumers.

Animal welfare and animal rights represent a spectrum of concern for nonhuman animals. Welfare is the dominant global framework—imperfect but actionable, embedded in laws and industries. Rights remains a moral aspiration, influential in philosophy and activism but not yet realized in mainstream legal systems.