Animal welfare in the Common Agricultural Policy evolution

Animal welfare assumes a certain relevance within a farm context in the European Union through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In the face of a wide range of animal welfare legislation enacted in Europe since the 1970s, also following ambitious public and private debates sometimes supported by scientific research, “animal welfare” has been part of the CAP since 1999. This paper outlines the evolutionary path of the animal welfare issue within the CAP, underlining the role it plays in a context of interrelations with other central and recurrent strategic themes in European policies. Indeed, the role of animal welfare within the CAP has been increasingly valorized and addressed to animal-oriented protection while intersecting with different strategic objectives over the course of time, which currently relate particularly to the environment and climate with the aim of supporting the ecological transition highlighting the practical implications for involved farmers and stakeholders. The new provisions of the CAP will take effect from 2023 until 2027, whereas currently Regulation (EU) 2020/2220 covers the delay concerning the Commission’s legislative proposals on the CAP after 2020. The paper drafts the regulatory progression of the virtuous path that the new CAP has consolidated over time for the improvement of animal welfare in the livestock sector, which is also linked to the future development of innovative technologies for a strategic approach including digital methods at farm and/or animal level.