Innovative Strategies for Enhancing Animal Welfare in Livestock Production
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 11
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue invites cutting-edge research and applied innovations dedicated to enhancing animal welfare across livestock production systems. As the global demand for animal-derived products continues to rise, advancing sustainable, ethical, and welfare-centered practices has become essential.
We welcome multidisciplinary contributions that explore innovative strategies—ranging from behavioral assessment and environmental enrichment to precision livestock technologies and welfare biomarkers—that enable better understanding and management of animals’ physical and emotional well-being. Emphasis will be placed on evidence-based approaches that align productivity with welfare outcomes, including low-stress handling, pain mitigation during husbandry, welfare-friendly housing and transport systems, and nutritional or sensory interventions promoting positive welfare states.
We also encourage studies addressing how genetics, management practices, and policy frameworks influence welfare standards worldwide.
By integrating perspectives from animal behavior, physiology, technology, and ethics, this Special Issue aims to present a comprehensive overview of emerging tools and concepts reshaping welfare assessment and management in modern livestock systems. Ultimately, we seek to inspire innovative, science-driven solutions that improve animal quality of life while supporting the long-term sustainability of animal agriculture.
Dr. Désirée Gellatly
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- animal welfare
- innovations
- livestock production
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
