Animal Welfare Institutional Change Advocacy

Institutional change advocacy - targeting laws, regulations, corporate policies and professional standards - delivers welfare improvements at scale compared to individual behaviour change.

Key Facts

The EU battery cage ban improved welfare for 300 million hens with a single regulatory change
Corporate welfare commitments by top retailers affect welfare for animals across entire supply chains
Professional association policy statements shift practice norms across thousands of practitioners
Government welfare codes and regulations create floors below which welfare cannot legally fall
Institutional change is slower but more durable than consumer behaviour change, which reverts under economic pressure

Welfare Considerations

Institutional change advocacy delivers the highest welfare impact per unit of effort - changing the rules that govern how billions of animals are treated rather than influencing individuals one at a time.

What You Can Do

Support animal welfare organisations with institutional change programmes in law, policy and corporate accountability
Advocate with retailers, employers and professional bodies for welfare policy improvements
Engage with public consultations on animal welfare legislation and regulation