Policy

Animal Welfare in Global Supply Chains

Global food supply chains make it difficult for consumers to know how animals producing their food were treated.

Key Facts

A typical supermarket sources products from thousands of farms across multiple countries
Supply chain auditing for animal welfare is expensive and often superficial
Imported animal products often come from countries with lower welfare standards than domestic
Country of origin labelling helps consumers make more informed welfare choices
Blockchain and digital traceability tools offer potential to improve supply chain welfare transparency

Welfare Considerations

The complexity of global food supply chains creates opacity that allows poor animal welfare to persist invisibly. Meaningful welfare improvement requires supply chain transparency, robust auditing, and import standards that prevent lower-welfare production being used to undercut domestic higher-welfare producers.

What You Can Do

Choose locally produced animal products where supply chains are shorter and more transparent
Support mandatory country of origin labelling for all animal products
Advocate for import welfare standards that match domestic requirements
Support retailer commitments to comprehensive supply chain welfare auditing