Building a Culture of Animal Welfare

Lasting improvements in animal welfare require cultural change — shifts in values, norms, and everyday practices across industries, communities, and societies.

Key Facts

Welfare improvements achieved through regulation are often more durable than voluntary changes
Public concern for animal welfare has increased significantly over the past 30 years in most Western countries
Farmer culture, including peer norms and professional identity, significantly influences on-farm welfare practices
Consumer awareness of welfare issues has grown, but the gap between concern and purchasing behaviour remains large
Children who learn about animal sentience and welfare tend to maintain more welfare-conscious attitudes as adults

Welfare Considerations

Animal welfare improvement is not only a technical or regulatory challenge — it is a cultural one. The attitudes, values, and daily practices of farmers, consumers, and citizens determine what welfare standards are demanded, delivered, and tolerated. Cultural change is slower than legislation but more durable; it operates through peer influence, professional identity, consumer expectations, and educational norms. Building a culture in which animals are routinely and naturally considered as sentient beings deserving of moral consideration requires investment in education, media engagement, and the public celebration of welfare-positive choices.

What You Can Do

Talk about animal welfare with friends, family, and colleagues to normalise the conversation
Support animal welfare education in schools and universities
Celebrate and publicise positive welfare innovations and exemplary producers
Engage with media representations of animals and farming that challenge welfare-unconscious narratives
Support organisations working on cultural change in farming through farmer leadership and peer influence programmes