The latest Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), released today, shows slow but steady progress across the global food industry on animal welfare.

Monitoring 150 global food giants on their farm animal welfare policies, practices and performance, BBFAW is the world’s leading annual assessment of industry welfare standards. It is supported by partners Compassion in World Farming and FOUR PAWS.

The results reveal a staggering Atlantic gap in animal welfare standards. Top performers included British bakery favourite Greggs PLC, and high street stalwarts Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, as well as Premier Foods. These leading companies have demonstrated that humane standards of farm animal welfare, such as providing animals with more space or using best practice methods of slaughter, are integral to their business strategy. As trailblazers, they achieved a score of between 62-80% against the criteria. Moreover, UK-based firms consistently rank highest of all other regions, achieving an average of 41% against all BBFAW criteria.

Meanwhile, US businesses scored poorly across all parts of the benchmark, with 42 of 43 US-based companies appearing in the bottom two tiers, and the average score for North America at just 12%. Companies like McDonalds, Cargill, Tyson Foods and Yum! Brands – the owners of KFC – have provided limited or no evidence that they are managing animal welfare effectively.

Companies based in Europe and Latin America achieved the second highest overall scores of 20%. The Asia Pacific region ranked lowest geographically, at just 9%. With these companies mostly based in China, the BBFAW reflects the relative immaturity of animal welfare in the region.

BBFAW’s ‘Impact Rating’ ranks companies (from ‘A’ to ‘F’) on their tangible welfare impacts. These measure, for example:

• the percentage of cage-free laying hens in a company’s supply chain
• the proportion of dairy cattle free from disbudding and dehorning
• the proportion of pigs free from tail docking.

At the top of the 2024 Impact Ratings, three companies (Marks & Spencer, Premier Foods and Fonterra) qualify for a high ‘B’ grade for the first time. In total 14 companies (9%) increased their Impact Rating in 2024. Most notably, New Zealand-based Fonterra, with its singular focus on dairy, has placed a significant emphasis on global reporting and impact, resulting in a rise in their Impact Rating by three grades (from ‘E’ to ‘B’).

However, a significant block of benchmarked companies (91%) scored the lowest ‘Impact Rating’ grades – ‘E’ or ‘F’. These companies have yet to show they are delivering improved welfare impacts for farm animals in their supply chains.

Other findings include:

• Slow, but steady improvements on the proportion of companies which have formal policies on farmed animal welfare, since BBFAW's beginnings in 2012. 128 companies (85%) have formal welfare policies compared to just 46% of the 68 companies evaluated in the benchmark's first year
• A widening gap between the best and worst performers. The bottom 20% of companies' progress remains stagnant, while higher performers continue to improve year-on-year
• Only 42% of companies have commitments in place to end antibiotic use - despite the increasing risk of antibiotic resistance
• Almost a third (29%) of companies acknowledge the need to reduce reliance on animal-sourced foods

Philip Lymbery, Global Chief Executive, Compassion in World Farming, said:

“Businesses play a critical leadership role in transforming food systems for a more sustainable and animal welfare-friendly future. A key first step is eliminating cages—and we are already making progress. As the impact of current practices weighs on people, animals, and the planet, the urgency for change will only grow.

“Every company has the power to drive meaningful progress by shifting toward higher-welfare, cage-free products, diversifying protein portfolios with more plant-based options, and embracing regenerative farming. Together, we can build a food system that respects animals, supports the planet, and creates a better future for all.”

Nicky Amos, Executive Director of the BBFAW, said:

“It’s not just animals that feel the benefit of these changes – with more space to roam and fewer farm animals suffering mutilations or long-distance live transportation. Companies feel the benefits too - in terms of building their reputation with consumers and getting ahead of potential regulation.

“While the leaders are picking up the pace, clearly much more needs to be done with the large majority of food companies, including many household names, stuck in BBFAW’s bottom two tiers. Too many food companies still provide limited evidence that they are managing animal welfare effectively.”

Josef Pfabigan, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Four Paws, said:

“FOUR PAWS once more supports BBFAW’s efforts to encourage higher animal welfare in the food industry and a transition towards sustainable and cruelty-free food systems globally. It is encouraging to see a group of leading companies piloting modern strategies and implementations against the systematic abuse of over 80 billion farmed animals that are slaughtered for food every year.

I am pleased to see more companies starting to address the need to reduce dependence on food of animal origin which not only supports a critical reduction in greenhouse gas emissions but also offers the chance to improve the welfare standards of farmed animals.

However, for the majority of companies, animal welfare is merely lip service to this day. Here, tangible measures and concrete actions must urgently be implemented. FOUR PAWS keeps on advocating and fighting for ending cruel practices in factory farming, including a reduction of farmed animals, worldwide.”