A survey of pig welfare laws across major producing countries, the significant gaps that remain, and what legal change would most benefit pigs.
Pig welfare legislation globally is patchy, poorly enforced, and significantly inadequate relative to welfare science. The EU provides the strongest baseline but has significant enforcement gaps. The US, China, and most major producing countries have minimal or no meaningful pig welfare protection. This creates a race-to-the-bottom dynamic where welfare leaders face competitive disadvantage from producers operating without welfare costs. International trade agreements that include animal welfare standards offer one pathway to global improvement. Consumer pressure, while important, cannot alone drive sufficient change in a commodity market where most production serves anonymous supply chains.