Animal Welfare in International Trade Agreements

International trade agreements can either undermine or support animal welfare standards depending on how they are negotiated and enforced.

Key Facts

Trade agreements can create pressure to lower welfare standards to achieve price parity
The EU has welfare standards in some trade agreements but enforcement is inconsistent
Mirror clauses requiring imported food to meet EU production standards have been debated
WTO rules generally prohibit trade restrictions based on production methods including animal welfare
Civil society pressure has increased welfare provisions in some recent trade negotiations

Welfare Considerations

International trade and animal welfare interact in ways that can either protect or undermine welfare standards. When countries with high welfare standards trade with countries without them, competitive pressure can emerge to lower the higher-welfare standards. Trade agreements that explicitly include welfare provisions, enforce them through monitoring, and allow market access differentiation based on welfare performance can support rather than undermine welfare progress. Advocacy for welfare provisions in trade agreements and tariff structures that reflect true production costs including welfare externalities represents a systemic approach to improving animal welfare globally.

What You Can Do

Advocate for animal welfare provisions in trade agreements negotiated by your country
Support campaigns for mirror clauses requiring imported food to meet domestic welfare standards
Engage with trade policy consultations to raise animal welfare as a legitimate concern
Support fair trade policies that do not penalize high-welfare producers for their standards
Choose imported food products from countries with equivalent or better welfare standards