Where are we now?

Historically, UK farm animal welfare policy was dominated by Government measures including world-leading animal protection legislation. In some sectors, EU legislation has also improved animal husbandry systems and aligned standards with our major trading partners. However, in recent years the market – a complex interaction between retailers, industry groups and animal welfare charities - has become the major driver.  This has resulted in sector-specific animal welfare strategies and world-leading independently certified assurance schemes such as Red Tractor Assurance and RSPCA Assured.

This combination of government and industry initiatives means that the UK has a recognised reputation: “UK farmers and producers are rightly proud of their high animal welfare standards.¹”

However, maintaining this reputation should not be taken for granted. Given future trading arrangements, and the investment in animal welfare by competitors such as New Zealand and Australia, further action is needed.

Where are we going?

The development of a post-Brexit UK agriculture policy is an opportunity to establish an ambitious animal welfare strategy that delivers a continuous improvement approach at a national level. A similar national level initiative is Origin Green² in Ireland which demonstrates the potential for a national approach. This will require a new era in animal welfare leadership: a genuine collaboration between Government, industry and civil society organisations³.

Research summaries

The University of Bristol is actively involved in farm assurance schemes and welfare assessment research projects, considering the dairy, pig, sheep and laying hen sectors, and consumer products and pricing.