Animal Welfare Progress: Measuring Global Change

Tracking global animal welfare progress requires robust metrics and baselines across species, sectors, and regions to guide effective advocacy.

Key Facts

The Animal Welfare Index attempts to track welfare outcomes across countries using composite indicators
Cage-free commitments from major food companies now cover billions of hens but implementation varies by region
Welfare regulations have expanded in the EU, UK, and several other regions with meaningful standards
Low- and middle-income countries have rapidly growing livestock sectors with minimal welfare frameworks
Fish welfare inclusion in national and international regulations is growing but remains limited
Consumer awareness surveys show increasing concern about animal welfare in purchasing decisions
The field of welfare science is expanding with validated assessment tools for more species

Welfare Considerations

Measuring welfare progress is essential to determining whether advocacy and policy are producing real outcomes for animals. Without robust metrics, efforts may continue despite producing minimal improvement. The shift from input-based measures (cage size) to outcome-based welfare assessment (behavioral indicators, health outcomes) represents an important maturation of the field. Global progress is real but uneven, with massive gaps remaining particularly for fish, invertebrates, and animals in low-income countries.

What You Can Do

Support organizations developing and validating animal welfare assessment tools and metrics
Advocate for mandatory welfare outcome reporting in animal agriculture sectors
Engage with government agricultural departments on adopting science-based welfare standards
Support research institutions studying animal welfare indicators across diverse species
Learn to distinguish meaningful welfare certification from greenwashing using welfare science criteria
Celebrate and publicize genuine welfare progress to build momentum for further improvement