Animal welfare policy varies dramatically between countries, creating international welfare and trade issues that affect billions of animals globally.
The global patchwork of animal welfare policy means that welfare standards for hundreds of billions of animals are determined by the political and economic context of where they are raised. Countries with strong welfare legislation protect their animal populations but can import lower-welfare products from countries without equivalent standards - creating competitive disadvantage for welfare-compliant producers. The absence of global minimum standards allows production to shift to lower-regulation environments when welfare-motivated regulation increases costs. International harmonization of minimum animal welfare standards through trade agreements and OIE leadership would level the playing field and prevent welfare arbitrage.