Agricultural subsidies shape what farming practices are economically viable. Linking subsidy payments to animal welfare outcomes, rather than production volume, is among the most powerful policy tools available.
Agricultural subsidies are the most powerful lever available to governments for shifting farming practice at scale. When subsidy payments reward production volume, they incentivise intensification that worsens welfare. When they reward welfare outcomes — verified by independent assessment — they create financial alignment between farmer behaviour and animal benefit. England's ELM pathway represents an important step, but its welfare ambition is limited. Expanding welfare conditionality requirements, increasing payment rates for measurable welfare improvements, and requiring independent audit are achievable policy advances that would benefit millions of farm animals.