Animal welfare standards in low- and middle-income countries face distinct challenges including resource constraints, limited regulation, and the central role of livestock in rural livelihoods.
Global livestock welfare faces a fundamental equity challenge: the countries where livestock welfare is most severely compromised are often those with least capacity for welfare improvement and most dependence on animals for basic livelihoods. Imposing high-income country welfare standards on low-income farmers without addressing the economic and structural factors that constrain welfare improvement is neither effective nor equitable. Effective global welfare improvement requires approaches that integrate welfare improvements with livelihood development, recognise the value of working animals to their owners, and build local capacity for welfare assessment and improvement. Trade mechanisms that create market incentives for welfare improvement, combined with development funding for capacity building, offer the most promising pathway.