Reflecting on 2024 for the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare, Dr Nathan Rhys Williams, Secretariat, said, “This has been a significant year in the evolution of GCAW, thanks to our members’ active participation and continued commitment to improving animal welfare standards for the 92 billion land animals that are farmed for food annually. This year,...Read More

Members of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare convened for their quarterly all-member meeting on 20 November 2024. GCAW’s animal welfare specialist Dr Heleen van de Weerd presented a comprehensive update on welfare matters concerning fish and seafood species. She began by highlighting the magnitude of the industry, noting that approximately 180 million tonnes of...Read More

Two more global food giants have joined the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW), demonstrating their commitment to improving animal health and welfare standards in their value chains. GCAW unites companies across the global food industry to accelerate progress on key animal welfare issues. The Coalition provides a collaborative platform for these organisations to work...Read More

The Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW) has appointed Brian Lindsay as its Independent Chair,following his selection by the Coalition’s Steering Committee. Mr Lindsay has extensive experience of leading collaborative, multi-stakeholder work programmes aimed at addressing sustainability challenges in livestock supply chains. In this new role, he will be instrumental in shaping the work of...Read More

GCAW has published a new report which summarises the Coalitions’ activities aimed at accelerating progress on raising farm animal welfare standards in global food supply chains. The Global Coalition for Animal Welfare: The First Five Years demonstrates the wide range of welfare issues that its members have engaged on since it was formed in 2018,...Read More

Guest speaker Dr Annie Rayner joined GCAW’s quarterly all members meeting on 31 July 2024. A food systems and animal welfare specialist, Dr Rayner presented her assessment of current approaches to regenerative agriculture and their potential implications for the welfare of livestock. She noted that several multinational food companies have made public commitments to regenerative...Read More

A quarterly meeting for all members of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare took place on 8 May 2024. We are most grateful to our guest speaker at this meeting, Dr Harriet Bartlett, Research Fellow in Sustainable Food Solutions, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. She briefed members on...Read More

Company commitments can be powerful drivers for transitioning livestock production to higher welfare systems. Implementing these commitments, however, requires an adaptive approach to overcome myriad challenges. These challenges are both external, including access to supply, regulatory conditions, traceability, and limited purchasing influence, and internal, such as poor integration of animal welfare into internal management systems...Read More

A quarterly meeting for all members of the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare took place on 7th February 2024. At this meeting, members were joined by guests from the Brussels-based Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU Countries (AVEC). AVEC represents 19 national association members from 17 countries which covers 95% of...Read More

After three years in the role, Dr Birte Nielsen is stepping down as GCAW’s Independent Chair. Dr Nielsen said, “The challenge of improving the welfare of animals across global food production systems cannot be understated: it entails not only a wide variety in cultural and legislative standards from one country to another, but also increasingly...Read More