Regions like the EU, New Zealand and the UK  have banned farming practices such as sow stalls and battery cages through domestic legislation, reflecting public demand and established positions on animal welfare. Our role is to provide the legal analysis, economic research, and policy frameworks that support trade rules consistent with both domestic welfare standards and international trade obligations.
 

Grounded in trade law. We commission and publish legal analysis on the compatibility of welfare-based import standards with WTO rules and free trade agreements. Our work draws on the public morals exception under GATT Article XX and recent precedents in equivalence regimes. Our advisors include international trade lawyers and former trade negotiators.

Building cross-sector support. Higher-welfare farmers and welfare organisations share an interest in import standards. We work with these sectors, alongside trade lawyers, parliamentarians, and civil servants - to develop policy positions that can hold political support.

Working globally. As an international organisation, we work in three regions where domestic welfare standards are higher than import regulation: New Zealand, the UK, and the EU. Each has a different political context and policy moment, but the underlying issue is the same. Working across three jurisdictions gives us a comparative perspective that informs policy development in each.