10 Introduction
We often see the concepts of animal health and animal welfare as separate
entities. However, Animal Welfare encompasses five freedoms and domains
that include animal health (FAWC, 1993; Mellor, 2016): nutrition, environ-
ment, health, behaviour and mental states (Table 1). Based on this basic prin-
ciple, which is recognized globally, the definition of One Welfare could indeed
encompass One Health, instead of complementing it. However, excellent col-
laborative networks, projects and policies have been built around the concept
of One Health, and so the goal is to develop One Welfare as a complement to
ongoing One Health programmes, fostering the collaborative approach.
Healthy individuals can suffer poor welfare such as fear, loneliness and
boredom. Certain medical treatments (e.g. chemotherapy, many veterinary
treatments) can improve health but temporarily harm welfare. At other
times poor health occurs without poor welfare (e.g. disabled individuals can
be happy and pain free; obesity does not harm welfare in the short term).
However, both welfare and health in humans and animals are intimately
connected. There is great overlap between the two, as health is a key part of
welfare, not something separate.
One Health typically focuses on the health aspects of humans, animals
and the environment, and most times is predominantly disease focused. As a
result the issues captured under the concept of One Welfare (i.e. psycho–
social–economic aspects) are relegated to the periphery. Many agree that
welfare is often not included, or is neglected, within the One Health
A more joined-up and multidisciplinary approach could be more efficient and
effective. For example, animal welfare indicators can be used as a sign of a farmer
(i.e. anyone taking care of livestock on a day-to-day basis, including the farm
owner, family and farm staff) being successful or failing to cope and could be
used to detect poor farmer health or well-being. Equally, poor farmer well-being
detected by a medical practitioner could indicate a risk of poor animal welfare
on the farm. Different professionals could all play a part in improving both farm
animal welfare and farmer well-being.
While some are of the view that One Welfare is truly under the umbrella of
One Health, others believe that One Welfare is broader and encompasses One
Health.