Spain enacted a landmark Animal Welfare Law in 2023 that transformed companion animal protections — but farmed animals remain governed primarily by EU minimums, with significant welfare challenges in intensive rabbit and poultry systems.
Spain is one of Europe's largest agricultural producers and home to the world's largest rabbit farming industry. It is a major producer of pork (second in the EU), poultry, eggs, and has significant sheep and goat sectors. Spain's 2023 Animal Welfare Law was a landmark moment — but its primary focus was companion animals. Farm animal welfare remains a contested political territory, shaped by powerful agricultural lobbies, significant rural employment, and traditional practices including bullfighting.
Spain's 2023 Animal Welfare Law ("Ley de Bienestar Animal") represented a major legislative step, though primarily for companion animals. Key provisions include:
For farm animals, the 2023 law added few new requirements beyond EU directives, reflecting the political influence of agricultural industry groups in Spain.
Spain's Iberian pig (cerdo ibérico) system — particularly the "bellota" (acorn-fed) category — represents one of the world's highest-welfare commercial pig systems. Pigs roam extensive dehesa (cork oak and holm oak woodland) landscapes for their final months, foraging on acorns, roots, and grasses. Stocking densities are very low, and pigs express natural behaviors over large areas.
However, only a minority of Spanish pigs (approximately 5%) are raised in this system. The majority of Spanish pork production uses intensive indoor systems comparable to other major EU producers, with welfare conditions matching EU minimum standards but no more.
Spain's position as the world's largest rabbit farmer creates significant welfare concerns. Most Spanish rabbits are raised in conventional wire cages — a system widely regarded as failing to meet basic rabbit welfare needs, given that rabbits cannot express natural behaviors (running, jumping, hiding) in small barren cages. Rabbit welfare is largely unregulated at EU level, creating a significant gap.
Spain's poultry sector is massive and predominantly intensive. Broiler welfare follows EU minimum standards — which means high-growth breeds at high stocking densities. Spanish retailers have been slower than Northern European counterparts to commit to the European Chicken Commitment, though several major chains (Mercadona, Carrefour Spain) have begun transition roadmaps.
Egg production shifted from conventional cages following the 2012 EU ban, with enriched colony cages now dominant. Cage-free production is growing but remains below the EU average as a proportion of total production.
Bullfighting (corrida de toros) remains legal in most of Spain, classified as a "cultural heritage" practice in some regions. The 2023 Animal Welfare Law explicitly excluded bullfighting from its scope following political pressure. Opposition is growing — particularly among younger Spaniards — and several regions (Catalonia, Canary Islands) have regional bans or restrictions. The welfare debate around bullfighting — a practice that involves deliberate wounding and killing of bulls — continues to be politically charged.
Spain's decentralized governance means animal welfare enforcement is primarily a regional (autonomous community) responsibility. Enforcement intensity varies significantly between regions — with generally stronger oversight in Catalonia and weaker in some southern regions. Veterinary inspection capacity has been criticized as insufficient for the scale of Spanish livestock production.
Spanish animal welfare organizations — including Igualdad Animal (Animal Equality), PACMA, and AnimaNaturalis — have become increasingly effective, conducting undercover farm investigations, legislative campaigns, and corporate engagement. Animal Equality's investigative work in Spanish factory farms has generated major media coverage and consumer pressure on retailers.