International trade agreements can either protect or undermine domestic animal welfare standards by allowing cheaper imports produced under lower welfare conditions to compete with higher-welfare domestic products.
Trade agreement animal welfare provisions directly determine whether high-welfare domestic farming can survive economically. If cheaper, lower-welfare imports flood the market, domestic farmers face pressure to reduce standards or exit the sector - causing net welfare harm globally. The EU's approach of linking market access to welfare equivalence sets a more protective precedent. Consumers and policymakers who insist on welfare-equivalent imports uphold the principle that animal suffering should not be a trade advantage.