Progress in Animal Welfare: A 50-Year Assessment

Animal welfare has advanced significantly over the past 50 years through legislative action, scientific understanding, and changing social attitudes, while enormous challenges remain.

Key Facts

The Brambell Report (1965) established the Five Freedoms framework that still underpins welfare policy
Battery cages for laying hens were banned across the EU in 2012 after decades of advocacy
Fish welfare has gained legal recognition in multiple jurisdictions in the past 20 years
Public concern for animal welfare has grown consistently in surveys across developed countries

Welfare Considerations

The arc of animal welfare progress over 50 years shows both what sustained advocacy can achieve and how far there is still to go. Legislative protections that would have been inconceivable in 1970 — mandatory stunning before slaughter, battery cage bans, legal recognition of fish sentience — are now established. Scientific understanding of animal cognition, pain, and emotional states has transformed both policy and practice. Yet the majority of animals farmed globally still have limited or no welfare protection. The challenge is accelerating progress in the regions and species where welfare standards are lowest, leveraging the scientific and legislative advances already achieved in leading jurisdictions.

What You Can Do

Stay informed about animal welfare progress and share positive developments
Support organisations that have track records of achieving welfare improvements at scale
Engage with the evidence that welfare improvement is possible and achievable
Advocate persistently — welfare gains require sustained pressure over years and decades