Most countries with significant animal agriculture have some form of animal welfare legislation, but the strength, enforcement, and coverage of these laws varies enormously. The European Union has some of the most comprehensive animal welfare law in the world, including bans on battery cages for laying hens and partial restrictions on gestation crates for pigs. The United States relies primarily on the Animal Welfare Act (1966), which explicitly exempts most farmed animals from its protections. The UK Animal Welfare Act (2006) and its successor legislation recognize animal sentience in law. Many countries in the Global South have minimal enforceable animal welfare regulations.
Perhaps the most significant gap in animal welfare law globally is the systematic exclusion of farmed animals from meaningful protection. In the United States, the Humane Slaughter Act exempts poultry, the largest category of farmed animals by number. The Animal Welfare Act does not cover farm animals at all. Many US states have enacted so-called ag-gag laws that criminalize undercover investigations of farming operations, limiting public accountability. The result is that approximately 99% of land animals in the US live in conditions that would be illegal for pet owners to impose on a dog or cat.
Despite significant challenges, there have been meaningful legal advances for animals. California's Proposition 12 (2018, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2023) bans the sale of pork from operations using gestation crates, affecting supply chains far beyond California. The EU has committed to phasing out caged farming entirely. Switzerland has some of the strongest farmed animal protections in the world, including limits on transport time. New Zealand has recognized fish as sentient and extended welfare protections accordingly. These wins demonstrate that legislative progress is possible with sustained advocacy.
A growing number of jurisdictions are legally recognizing animal sentience, which has implications for how animals may be treated. The UK Sentience Act (2022) requires government ministers to have regard to animal welfare in policy decisions. Canada's Criminal Code was amended to strengthen animal cruelty provisions. France reformed its civil code in 2015 to recognize animals as sentient beings rather than property. These legal recognitions matter because they shift the baseline from animals as objects to animals as subjects with interests that deserve consideration, which can then be built upon by more specific legislation.
Individual citizens can meaningfully influence animal welfare legislation. Writing to your elected representatives with evidence-based, specific asks is more effective than general expressions of concern. Supporting organizations that run professional advocacy campaigns (such as the Humane Society Legislative Fund, the RSPCA, or Compassion in World Farming) allows your resources to be aggregated with others. Voting records on animal welfare issues are increasingly tracked and published, making it possible to support candidates with good records. Participating in public consultations on proposed regulations is another under-utilized avenue for influence.
Advocates working on legislation often focus on: (1) banning or phasing out the most extreme confinement systems (battery cages, gestation crates, veal crates); (2) extending sentience recognition and its legal implications; (3) improving slaughter regulations to ensure animals are effectively stunned before killing; (4) expanding humane slaughter protections to cover poultry and fish; and (5) repealing ag-gag laws to allow accountability. These targets are chosen because they affect large numbers of animals and represent achievable goals with demonstrated precedent in other jurisdictions.
Explore our full library of animal welfare guides, or see our research on the most effective animal welfare charities for evidence-based giving recommendations.