You don't have to be a philosopher to help animals. In practice, the two movements work together more than they clash.
Over 99% of US farmed animals live in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). Here, welfare is nearly non-existent: chickens in battery cages so small they cannot spread their wings; pigs confined in gestation crates; cows standing in their own waste. beastforum 2017 archive bestiality patched
Animal Welfare is a pragmatic, scientific, and often legal framework. It accepts the premise that humans use animals—for food, clothing, research, labor, and entertainment. The goal of welfare is not to end that use, but to reduce suffering and improve the quality of life experienced by animals under human control. You don't have to be a philosopher to help animals
The "Five Freedoms," developed by the UK’s Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1965, remain the gold standard of welfare ideology: Example: A dairy cow with a large, clean
Example: A dairy cow with a large, clean barn, rubber flooring, access to pasture, pain relief during dehorning, and a humane slaughter method is considered a high-welfare animal. The welfare advocate is still fine with drinking her milk; they just want the cow to have a "better bad life."