A survey of global farmed animal welfare legislation — what the best frameworks include, where the most significant gaps remain, and how policy change is being driven.
Farmed animal welfare legislation represents the most impactful policy lever for improving the welfare of the billions of animals in agricultural systems. Well-designed legislation sets minimum standards that apply to all producers in a jurisdiction, preventing the race to the bottom where welfare-positive producers are undercut by lower-cost competitors who externalize welfare costs. The most effective legislative approaches combine clear minimum standards with enforcement mechanisms, phase-in periods that allow industry adaptation, and review processes that update standards as scientific evidence evolves. The global legislative landscape is improving, but remains far behind the welfare science in most jurisdictions — the gap between what the evidence indicates animals need and what the law requires represents an enormous ongoing welfare deficit.