Catastrophic declines in the number of birds and other wildlife are likely if countries do not act urgently to change the way animals are farmed, wildlife health scientists have warned.

The India Animal Fund and philanthropic organisation Dasra launched a report titled ‘Our shared future: Securing animal welfare, human wellbeing, and sustainability in India’ on Tuesday. The report emphasises animal welfare’s pivotal role in India’s socio-economic and ecological frameworks and reveals how intensive animal agriculture or factory farming fuels antibiotic resistance, zoonotic diseases and environmental degradation. 

Factory farming is a method of raising animals indoors, which has been classified by many as unsustainable, due to its cruelty and how it concentrates animals into confined spaces.