Animal welfare standards and enforcement are lowest in the regions with the fastest-growing livestock sectors. Supporting capacity building in low-income countries has high leverage for global impact.
The global welfare movement has historically been concentrated in wealthy nations with established legal frameworks and consumer demand for higher welfare products. But the most rapid growth in animal numbers — and therefore the largest opportunity for welfare improvement — is in the global south. Supporting organisations that build local capacity, train farmers, advocate for legislation, and improve slaughter practices in these regions may be the highest-leverage welfare intervention available to donors and advocates today. Effective global south welfare work must be led by local actors with international support rather than imposed from outside.