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, teeth clipping and ear notching....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

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 100% of fresh chicken sold...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

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% of all eggs produced.Read More

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 assurance scheme, processes for auditing,...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

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 Tyson Foods for hosting this...Read More

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 at the event. He said,...Read More

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 duBreton’s Director of Agricultural Operations,...Read More