International trade in animals and animal products involves billions of animals annually under widely varying welfare standards. Harmonizing these standards upward is one of the most significant levers for improving animal welfare at scale.
The globalization of animal agriculture has created a welfare crisis of enormous scale. Animals traded across borders often endure the worst welfare conditions: long transport journeys, mixing of unfamiliar animals causing stress and injury, exposure to disease, temperature extremes, and slaughter under standards far below those of the exporting country. The regulatory gap is stark — an animal in Australia may have legal protections that evaporate the moment it crosses an international border. Trade agreements represent both the problem and the potential solution: when major trading blocs like the EU make market access conditional on welfare standards, exporting countries have economic incentives to reform. The challenge is moving from voluntary guidelines to mandatory standards with genuine enforcement, supported by transparent supply chain traceability.