Source record
Farm animal welfare research index (legacy)
World Animal Protection Animal Protection Index, EU Directive 98/58/EC and species directives, UK Animal Welfare Act 2006, US Animal Welfare Act and state ballot measures (2024). Compiled by The Balance of Health.
Key findings
- The EU and UK ban conventional battery cages and sow stalls (with exceptions); the US has no federal on-farm welfare law, with rules varying by state.
- Legal minimum standards say little about welfare outcomes on individual farms; assurance schemes vary widely.
Record
- Source type
- Report
- Study type
- Review
- Topics
- Farming systems
- Geography
- Europe, United States, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Australia
- Funding & conflicts
- Not recorded.
- Source quality
- Limited evidenceSummary of legal texts and one NGO index; not a measure of on-farm welfare.
Limitations
- Legislation changes; enforcement differs from the text of the law.