The Future of Animal Welfare: Progress and Challenges Ahead

Animal welfare has made extraordinary progress over the past 50 years. Understanding what has worked and what challenges remain orients effective advocacy for the decades ahead.

Key Facts

Since 1970, battery cage bans, veal crate prohibitions, sow stall restrictions, and live export bans have been achieved across much of Europe
The number of higher welfare certified animals has grown from near-zero to hundreds of millions annually since 1994
Alternative protein companies have raised over USD 10 billion in investment — the cultivated meat industry alone could eliminate much farmed animal suffering
Sentience is now legally recognised for vertebrates and cephalopods in an expanding number of jurisdictions
Wild animal numbers have declined by 70% since 1970 — conservation and welfare are increasingly aligned challenges
Public attitudes toward animal welfare have shifted markedly — 60%+ of people in wealthy nations support stronger animal welfare laws

Welfare Considerations

The welfare movement has achieved transformational change within living memory. Fifty years ago, battery cage bans seemed politically impossible; today they are law across the EU, UK, and multiple other countries. The trajectory of moral progress is unmistakably toward expanded animal consideration. The challenge of the next 50 years is scaling this progress to the billions of animals in systems and countries that welfare reform has not yet reached — while maintaining momentum on the unfinished agenda in countries where progress has already begun. The combination of alternative proteins, welfare technology, expanding legal sentience recognition, and shifting consumer values creates genuine grounds for optimism about the long-term trajectory of animal welfare globally.

What You Can Do

Celebrate and share welfare progress to sustain motivation and model the possibility of change
Focus advocacy on the highest-impact leverage points: alternative proteins, corporate commitments, and policy reform
Invest in your own long-term effectiveness through sustainable advocacy practices and community connection
Support the next generation of welfare advocates through mentoring, funding, and knowledge sharing
Maintain confidence that the moral arc of history is moving toward expanded animal consideration — your actions accelerate it