Critics argue that welfare is a band-aid. A "humane" slaughter is still a slaughter. A "spacious" cage is still a cage. Welfare improves conditions but never questions the purpose. It treats animals as property to be managed, not individuals with a right to life.
Most modern welfare laws are built on the Five Freedoms, established in 1965 in response to horrific factory farming conditions in the UK: 3d Bestiality Comics
The modern animal protection movement is not a product of internet-age sentimentality; it has deep legal and philosophical roots. Critics argue that welfare is a band-aid