What we do
Research
We produce legal analysis, supply chain studies, and evidence-based policy research on how animal products move across borders.
Policy and Advocacy
We advise parliamentarians, trade officials and civil servants on aligning import standards with domestic welfare regulation.
Cross-sector partnerships
We bring together NGOs, farmers, industry, trade experts and the public for practical policy reform on trade and imports.
Who we work with
Policymakers and civil servants
We support governments with the research needed to align import standards with domestic welfare regulation.
We brief parliamentarians, civil servants, and trade officials.
Farmers and agricultural industry
We analysis the impacts of lower-welfare imports on local farmers.
Import standards level the playing field and we work with farmers and industry to make the case.
NGOs
We add the trade-policy layer to welfare legislation.
Through our research and policy work we help welfare organisations translate domestic regulation into trade rules.
Higher welfare standards shouldn't stop at the border
When countries ban lower-welfare farming practices, those rules typically apply only to domestic producers. Imported products from countries with weaker standards continue to be sold alongside them. This undermines the policy intent, puts higher-welfare farmers at a competitive disadvantage, and can shift suffering to other countries.
Closing this gap requires a policy framework that brings imports into line with domestic standards - one that works within international trade rules and addresses the concerns of trade officials, industry, welfare organisations and the public alike.
Example: New Zealand
~60%
of pork imported into New Zealand comes from countries that permit sow stalls - a practice banned in New Zealand since 2016.
FAO, 2023
79%
of New Zealand farmers agree that imported products should respect the same animal welfare standards as those in New Zealand.
Curia Market Research, 2026
Over 80%
of the public agree that imported products should respect the same animal welfare standards as those applied domestically.
Horizon Research, 2024/2023
Our approach
Animal Policy International works with NGOs, farmers, industry, trade experts, and policymakers to close the imports gap. We produce the legal analysis, economic research, and policy frameworks that support trade rules consistent with both domestic welfare standards and international trade obligations.
The principle is straightforward: if a country has decided a practice is unacceptable, that same standard should apply to products sold on its shelves.
Featured in
News
Get in touch
Please use our contact form for all enquiries.
-
General enquiries - for questions about our work, our research, or our regional activities.
-
Press and media - we can offer spokespeople, quotes, background briefings, and images on trade and animal welfare policy.
-
Working with us - for partnerships, research collaboration, advisory work, or supporting our work in other ways.