The role of livestock in supporting human well-being is contentious, with different perceptions leading to polarised opinions. There is increasing concern about the health and environmental impacts of a high rate of consumption of livestock products in high-income countries. These concerns are heightened by an increase in consumption in middle-income countries. On the other hand, livestock support the livelihoods of many people, particularly in low income countries. The benefits of livestock for poor livestock keepers are multiple, including the important role livestock play in supporting crop production in mixed systems, in supplying nutrients and income, and in fulfilling cultural roles. In addition livestock can provide resilience against economic and climate shocks. In view of these apparent positive and negative impacts, the role of livestock in human wellbeing is highly contested, with arguments ‘for’ or ‘against’ sometimes distorted by vested interests or misinterpretation of evidence. The Livestock Fact Check project, undertaken by the Livestock Data for Decisions community of practice, has investigated several ideas concerning livestock commonly taken as ‘fact’. By exploring the provenance of these ‘facts’ we highlight their importance and the risks of both misinterpreting them or using them out of context. Despite the diversity of the livestock sector resulting in equally diverse viewpoints, the project calls for participants in the livestock discourse to adopt a nuanced appreciation of global livestock systems. Judgement of livestock's role in global sustainable diets should be based on clear and well-interpreted information.

牲畜在支持人类福祉方面的作用是有争议的，不同的看法导致意见分歧。人们越来越关注高收入国家畜牧产品高消费对健康和环境的影响。中等收入国家消费的增加加剧了这些担忧。另一方面，牲畜支持了许多人的生计，特别是在低收入国家。牲畜对贫困牲畜饲养者的好处是多重的，包括牲畜在支持混合系统中的作物生产，提供营养和收入以及履行文化角色方面发挥重要作用。此外，牲畜可以提供抵御经济和气候冲击的能力。鉴于这些明显的正面和负面影响，牲畜在人类福祉中的作用备受争议，“赞成”或“反对”的论点有时会因既得利益或对证据的误解而扭曲。畜牧业事实决定检查项目由“畜牧业决策数据”实践社区承担，它调查了有关通常被视为“事实”的牲畜的几种想法。通过探索这些“事实”的来源，我们强调了它们的重要性以及误解它们或在上下文之外使用它们的风险。尽管畜牧业的多样性导致了同样不同的观点，但该项目呼吁畜牧业的参与者对全球畜牧系统采取细微的认识。牲畜在全球可持续饮食中的作用的判断应基于清晰易懂的信息。