Promoting 'better' meat and dairy: Global Animal Welfare Assurance

The scientific evidence is clear that we need a reduction in meat and dairy consumption in Western
countries such as the UK, in order to protect not only our own health but that of the planet too. This
is also important in developing countries to prevent consumption levels from rising above those that
are best for human and planetary health. The ‘less and better’ approach to consuming meat and
dairy products has been advocated by many organisations: we should eat less meat and dairy, and
when we do eat it, we should choose ‘better’ products. Higher animal welfare standards are a vital
part of the ‘better’ facet of this approach, and one of the best ways of choosing products with higher
welfare standards is to choose those certified by a higher welfare farm assurance scheme. However,
many different higher welfare schemes exist nationally and internationally, and their standards do
not always concur. This can lead to confusion amongst consumers and can be especially challenging
for businesses making purchases on a global scale. Global Animal Welfare Assurance (GAWA) is an
alliance of five higher welfare certification schemes operating in Europe, North America and
Australasia, along with the UK's leading animal welfare charity the RSPCA, and academics from the
University of Bristol and the Royal Agricultural University (UK), who share the common vision of
increasing the production and consumption of higher animal welfare products. The vision is to create
an authentic global source of higher welfare products, which will increase demand by improving the
identification, availability and supply of such products. GAWA will provide the first independent
evidence-based higher welfare certificate of authenticity, providing higher welfare transparency
throughout the supply chain to leverage buyers (such as food retailers, food services, public
procurement organisations) towards higher welfare products. This poster describes the
development of GAWA.