Government agricultural subsidies shape farming practices at scale, and reforms to subsidy systems that reward welfare outcomes have transformative potential for the welfare of billions of farm animals.
Agricultural subsidy reform represents a policy lever with enormous potential welfare impact. When subsidies reward volume of production regardless of welfare standards, they structurally disadvantage higher-welfare producers who face higher costs. Redirecting subsidy payment to public goods including animal welfare changes the economic incentives for every farmer, making welfare improvements financially rational rather than economically penalising. UK ELM schemes offer welfare options, but uptake depends on payment rates that must exceed welfare improvement costs. Strong animal welfare options within ELM with attractive payment rates, combined with mandatory baseline welfare standards, could transform UK farm animal welfare across the entire industry.