Animal welfare laws form the foundation of protection for animals from cruelty and suffering, though significant gaps remain globally.
Animal welfare legislation creates the minimum floor of protection below which animal treatment is legally unacceptable. The gaps in welfare law are as revealing as the protections provided: in the United States, the Animal Welfare Act explicitly excludes farm animals - the largest category of animals affected by human activity - from its protections. Birds, the most numerous farm animals, were excluded by regulatory interpretation until recently. Wild animals have protections that focus primarily on conservation and species survival rather than individual welfare. The patchwork of state laws provides inconsistent protection with some states having robust welfare laws and others providing minimal protection. The EU's approach is more comprehensive but also leaves enforcement gaps and carve-outs for traditional practices. Improving welfare legislation requires engaging with the political processes that create and maintain these gaps.