The majority of farmed animals live in low and middle income countries with limited welfare legislation. Building welfare capacity in the Global South is a priority for global animal welfare progress.
Animal welfare in the Global South represents both the largest welfare challenge and an area of significant opportunity. Billions of animals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America live without welfare legal protection or access to veterinary care. Smallholder systems present different welfare challenges than industrial farming, often with poor disease control but sometimes with more natural behaviours. Building welfare capacity requires culturally sensitive approaches, practical training for farmers, integration with food security and livelihood programmes, and locally appropriate welfare standards. Organisations including the World Animal Protection, FAO, and various NGOs are working to improve welfare standards in these regions.