Animal welfare legislation globally is evolving toward stronger protections, with notable bans on specific practices, outcome-based monitoring requirements, and increased enforcement activity.
Legislative progress on farm animal welfare represents meaningful welfare improvement for billions of animals when effectively implemented and enforced. Battery cage bans have removed the most extreme confinement from hundreds of millions of laying hens. Gestation crate restrictions have improved conditions for millions of breeding sows. The legislative trend is positive - more countries are adopting and strengthening welfare protections - but significant gaps between legislation and enforcement mean the welfare benefit realized is often less than legislation suggests. Trade policy increasingly being used as a lever for welfare improvement represents a potentially powerful mechanism for raising global standards.