International animal welfare standards are fragmented and inconsistently enforced. Developing harmonized global standards is essential for meaningful welfare improvement at scale.
International animal welfare policy is fragmented in ways that allow welfare standards to be undermined by production in jurisdictions with weak requirements. Animals are produced under different welfare standards depending on where they live, with trade allowing low-welfare products to compete in markets that have adopted higher standards. The World Organisation for Animal Health provides frameworks for international standards but compliance is uneven. Trade agreements that include welfare provisions create leverage for raising standards in exporting countries. Building genuinely harmonized international welfare standards would be one of the most significant welfare policy achievements possible, affecting billions of animals across jurisdictions.