A global overview of farm animal welfare legislation — what different countries require and the gaps that remain.
Farm animal welfare legislation represents the most scalable mechanism for improving welfare across entire production systems — unlike certification schemes that reach minority market shares, regulations affect all producers within their jurisdiction simultaneously. The global patchwork of welfare legislation creates races to the bottom through production relocation to less-regulated regions, arguing for harmonization of international standards. The trajectory of welfare legislation is positive — more countries are adopting more stringent requirements over time — but the pace of improvement lags the scale of welfare problems currently experienced by billions of farm animals in inadequately regulated systems globally.