We work to improve animal welfare standards through cooperation with local partners. These may be other animal welfare or environmental organisations, veterinary services, universities, teacher training institutes, or central or local government agencies.

Many of the issues that we are concerned with, for example, the welfare of farm and research animals, are managed at a European or global level. We work closely with Eurogroup for Animals, the umbrella organisation for animal organisations which we helped to set up, to ensure that unified campaigns happen in all 27 of the EU countries.
 

We also work with local animal welfare organisations around the world to offer support and advice. Go to our animal welfare organisations page where you can also find recent issues of International News. In areas where we do not have proactive programmes of work, we may be able to offer consultancy services. Find out more about consultancy.
 

European Union

The UK’s membership of the European Union offers the perfect arena for us to campaign for animal welfare.
 

For more than 20 years it has been instrumental, along with the coordinating body of Eurogroup for Animals and animal welfare counterparts from all the other European member countries, in initiating successful campaigns against:

• veal calf crates
• leghold traps
• cosmetics testing on animals
• the use of drift nets which ensnare dolphins.
   

Over 40 per cent of the European budget is used to support farmers through the Common Agricultural Policy. In the past this has been used to support prices. We have been campaigning to ensure that this money is used to promote good welfare practices on farms. Find out more about CAP reform.
 

Global partners

We work with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and we are also involved in talks started at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001 on setting animal welfare standards for trade in agricultural products.
 

As food consumed in the UK is increasingly being produced in other countries it is important that any imports meet European or British standards. This can be done by ensuring consumers are given clear information on the way that their food is produced and allowing countries to choose their own level of animal protection on imported food. Find out more about our work connected with World trade.
 

We cooperate closely with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) to develop and implement global animal welfare standards. Two reports profile the implementation and enforcement of OIE standards in over 30 countries worldwide by different animal welfare organisations, and the role that the veterinary services play in the process.
 
Implementing OIE Animal Welfare Standards: The Role That Civil Society Plays (PDF 2.62MB)

Animal Welfare Worldwide (PDF 598 KB)

We also collaborate with other international NGOs. The RSPCA and Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) have been working together for some years with producers, scientists, retailers and farmers to find realistic and economically viable solutions to the live transport of calves to Europe and towards getting a greater number of male dairy calves reared in the UK. A similar partnership group is looking at the chicken industry. We are also a member of the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
 

Support our work. Donate to RSPCA International.