Introduction to Animal Welfare Governance in EU Agriculture: hybrid standards, trade and values in the agri-food chain

A governance framework is suggested in the domain of animal welfare in agriculture in which both public and private bodies set welfare standards. The EU, through its Common Agricultural Policy, has a responsibility to its citizens to support and promote animal welfare good agricultural practice, consistent with World Trade Organization rules, but a global response is also needed. The EU cooperates with the World Organisation for Animal Health in animal welfare standard-setting, which relationship underpins the public dimension of the direction taken. Originality lies in its comparative analysis of, and development of interrelations between, the major public and private spheres of animal welfare standardisation. In proposing a transnational soft law hybrid model of animal welfare governance in agriculture, it connects with the movement for effective global animal law. The improved welfare of animals raised and traded in agriculture remains a prime objective, with the concerned and informed consumer the driver of values for change.