# Relationships between farmer well-being and the welfare of their animals: A One Welfare scoping review

## TL;DR

This review explores how farmers' well-being is linked to the welfare of their animals, suggesting that improving one can benefit the other.

## Contribution

The study compiles evidence supporting a One Welfare approach by examining the relationship between farmer well-being and animal welfare.

## Key findings

- Twenty-two articles were identified showing varied methods to assess relationships between farmer well-being and animal welfare.
- Ninety-three pieces of evidence showed positive associations between improved farmer well-being and improved animal welfare.
- The study highlights the need for standardized methods to enable better cross-study comparisons.

## Abstract

Although there are public expectations regarding improvements to farm animal welfare, farmers’ well-being remains largely overlooked. This is particularly concerning given the high prevalence of physical and mental health issues among farming populations. As key stakeholders in the implementation of animal welfare practices, farmers play an essential role in welfare outcomes. Improving animal welfare may require addressing farmers’ own well-being. To support this hypothesis, it is necessary to examine the relationship between farmers’ well-being and the welfare of their animals. This scoping review aimed to: (1) map the methods used to describe relationships between farmer well-being and animal welfare in primary research; and (2) compile pieces of evidence of such relationships. Following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews, the same search was carried out on three databases (Web of Science Core Collection, MEDLINE, CABI digital library). Twenty-two articles from the 10,189 retrieved met the inclusion criteria. Results underscored the need to standardise methods to enable cross-study comparisons, as different questionnaires were used to assess the same construct (e.g. four for psychological stress), and none of the animal welfare indicators were fully comparable. Moreover, 94 pieces of evidence regarding the relationships between farmer well-being and the welfare of their animals were compiled. Ninety-three pieces described positive associations where improved farmer well-being was associated with improved welfare of their animals, and vice versa. This result suggests that welfare improvement strategies on farms should address not only animal welfare, but also farmer well-being. The results therefore support a One Welfare approach on commercial farms.