Historically, laws protected animals only to safeguard human property rights. While progress is uneven worldwide, the legal landscape is evolving:

Focuses on banning intensive confinement practices, such as gestation crates for pregnant pigs, battery cages for egg-laying hens, and veal crates for calves. It advocates for stunning before slaughter and humane transport laws.

The criticism of welfare is that it . By making farms and labs cleaner, it numbs the public conscience. It creates a "humane halo" that allows people to feel good about consuming animal products, thereby prolonging the system. As abolitionist law professor Gary Francione argues, "Happy exploitation is still exploitation. The problem is not the cage; it's the ownership."

The animals are waiting. They have always been waiting. The only question is whether we, finally, are ready to listen.

Rights advocates argue that welfare campaigns backfire. By making consumers feel good about "humane" labels, welfare reforms entrench the system of exploitation, making abolition harder. "The cage-free egg is still a cage," they argue, referring to the fact that even free-range hens have their male chicks ground up alive at birth.

In the 20th century, the animal welfare movement gained momentum, with the establishment of organizations such as the Humane Society and the Animal Welfare Institute. These organizations have worked tirelessly to promote animal welfare, through advocacy, education, and outreach.

Ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering. Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach