Animal welfare is a global challenge requiring international cooperation, culturally sensitive approaches, and shared scientific standards.
Global animal welfare improvement requires action at multiple levels simultaneously: international standard setting that establishes minimum floors, national legislation that implements and enforces standards, market mechanisms that reward higher welfare production, and cultural change that reframes animal welfare as a universal value. Progress is uneven — high-income countries have developed robust welfare frameworks while many lower-income countries lack both standards and enforcement capacity. International development programs that integrate welfare alongside productivity support are particularly important for improving conditions for the billions of animals farmed in lower-income countries. Welfare science must be translated into practical guidance accessible to diverse farming contexts globally.