The majority of farmed animals globally are raised in low and middle income countries where welfare regulations are minimal, cultural attitudes vary widely, and the economic resources for welfare improvement are constrained.
Global animal welfare improvement requires engaging with the reality that most animals are raised outside the regulatory frameworks of Europe and North America. The solutions appropriate for high-income contexts — comprehensive welfare legislation, certified supply chains, premium consumer markets — often cannot be directly transplanted. Effective welfare improvement in low and middle income country contexts requires meeting farmers where they are: demonstrating welfare-productivity alignment, providing accessible veterinary support, and working through local organizational structures. Development framing that connects welfare to livelihoods and food security outcomes has proven more effective than rights-based approaches that lack local cultural resonance.