Tracking progress in animal welfare across countries and sectors requires consistent metrics, international data sharing, and honest assessment of both achievements and persistent gaps in protection.
Measuring global animal welfare progress requires both optimism about genuine achievements and honesty about the scale of remaining harm. The cage-free egg movement, driven by corporate commitments and legislative change, has improved welfare for hundreds of millions of laying hens in developed markets. EU legislation eliminating sow stalls and barren battery cages represents some of the most significant farm animal welfare policy progress in history. Wild animal conservation has protected some species and habitats that would otherwise have been lost. At the same time, global animal protein consumption continues to rise, aquaculture is expanding with limited welfare standards, and wild animal suffering from climate change is increasing. Sustained progress requires combining legislative advocacy, consumer market transformation, and direct welfare interventions at scale.