The Global Coalition for Animal Welfare (GCAW) is the world’s first food industry-led initiative aimed at advancing animal welfare globally. Launched in October 2018, the global platform unites major companies and animal welfare experts in improving animal welfare standards at scale and in meeting consumer demand for food products from animals reared in systems that promote good welfare.
Over 70% of the world’s 70 billion farm animals live in intensive systems, often in conditions where they are unable to move freely or behave naturally. The treatment of farm animals and the nature of the production systems in which they are reared is not only an ethical issue but one that connects to other issues such as food safety, human health and antimicrobial resistance, as well as environmental issues such as carbon emissions, water supply and land use.