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...

Dr Golledge, Chief Executive of the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) and UFAW, the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, and Editor of Animal Welfare: the International Journal of Animal Welfare Science, wasguest speaker at GCAW’s Pig Welfare Working Group meeting in December. Dr Golledge briefed members on the animal welfare concerns...

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...

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...

Dr Miguel Angel Higuera joined GCAW’s Pig Welfare Working Group meeting in October. Dr Higuera is Chairman of the Animal Health and Welfare Working Group of COPA-COGECA, the European meat producers’ association, and Director of ANPROGAPOR, the Spanish pig producer’s association. Dr Higuera outlined findings from a number of European...

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...

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...

Members of GCAW’s Broiler Chicken Welfare Working Group were pleased to welcome guest speaker Máire Burnett, Technical Director at the British Poultry Council to their September meeting. Ms Burnett presented an overview of the UK poultry market covering consumer preferences, production methods and welfare standards. The UK market is in...

Members of the Global Coalition on Animal Welfare are making continued progress on transitioning their egg purchasing to cage-free supplies. Members have indicated that they will achieve their stated targets in the majority of the 190 global markets in which they operate. These achievements will have a significant impact on...

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...

The GCAW Pig Welfare Working Group is currently reviewing the proposed Pig Minimum Standards (PMS), developed and published by a collective of non-governmental organisations across Europe. The GCAW Secretariat has conducted an initial assessment of these proposed standards and is providing members with guidance on the practicality of their adoption....

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...

The GCAW Pig Welfare Working Group was pleased to welcome Dr Abbie Viscardi, Assistant Professor at Kansas State University to its meeting on 3 April 2024. Dr Viscardi provided a comprehensive overview of the use of and options for pain relief during routine mutilations in piglets, including castration, tail docking,...

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...

Members of GCAW’s Broiler Welfare Working Group met on 6 March 2024 and welcomed guest speaker Peter van Horne, an agricultural economist specialising in broiler chicken production at Wageningen University & Research. Peter presented an overview of how the Netherlands rapidly transitioned from conventional to slower growing broiler breeds. Now...

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...

Research published by the GCAW reveals that many of the world’s largest food companies are facing setbacks in their ability to source cage-free eggs. The GCAW Cage-Free Eggs Global Landscape Review presents the status of global egg production, collating available data on the 40 countries that together represent over 90%...

GCAW convened members of its Laying Hens Welfare Working Group on 24 January 2024. The Group was pleased to welcome representatives from IQC for an expert briefing on a cage-free egg certification scheme which it is operating in China. Members were keen to understand the scope and requirements of this...

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...

On 28th and 29th November, the Global Coalition for Animal Welfare gathered for an in-person meeting; an opportunity to come together to share information and updates on the member companies’ individual approaches to animal welfare, and their progress and challenges over the last 12 months. We are most grateful to...

GCAW convened members of its Broiler Welfare Working Group on 11 October 2023. The Group was pleased to welcome Paul van Boekholt, who oversees Northern European operations for Hubbard Breeders. Paul has been involved in introducing slower-growing broiler breeds for producers, retailers and food service companies operating in many countries...

The Global Coalition on Animal Welfare has become a signatory to the Beijing Consensus on Farm Animal Welfare, an initiative which seeks to strengthen international cooperation and exchanges, and build a sustainable, responsible and efficient future for the livestock industry. Dr Nathan Rhys Williams signed the declaration on behalf of...

GCAW is pleased to be attending the World Farm Animal Welfare – Beijing Consensus Conference at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Italy, September 2023. Dr Nathan Rhys Williams accepted an invitation to participate in a panel discussion on Sharing Animal Welfare Best Practice...

GCAW convened members of its Pig Welfare Working Group on 6 September 2023. The Group was pleased to welcome speakers from Canadian pork producer, duBreton, whose mission it is to connect 400 family-run farms in Eastern Canada to consumers who value sustainability and animal welfare. Attendees were most  grateful to...

The quarterly meeting for all GCAW members was held on 26 July 2023. The group was pleased to welcome guest speaker David Speller, Founder and CEO of Optifarm for an expert briefing about technology as an enabler for driving improvements in animal welfare at scale. From his own experience of...