creating global partnerships to continually improve the lives of farm animals
The Global Animal Partnership 5 Step Animal Welfare Rating Program
Working towards continuous improvement in animal agriculture is one of our core missions and why we developed a multi-tiered animal welfare rating system, with each Step building on the previous one, allowing farmers to move up the welfare ladder as they choose. The very structure of the 5 Step program encourages higher welfare practices and systems to the benefit of farmers, consumers, and the animals. Step 1: No cages, no crates Step 2: Enriched environment Step 3: Enhanced outdoor access Step 4: Pasture centered Step 5: Animal centered: Bred for outdoors Step 5+: Animal Centered: Entire life on same farm Our 5 Step Animal Welfare Rating Standards for cattle raised for beef, pigs, and broiler chickens are available online, so please feel free to review them and get in touch if you have any questions or would like to join our program. We are currently developing 5 Step standards for other animals, including egg-laying hens, sheep and lambs, and turkeys.
To date, third-party audited and certified farms are raising more than 12.7 million animals according to our 5 Step Animal Welfare Rating standards.
Comprehensive and including standards for each aspect of animal production, the essence of our 5 Step program can be shared with these criteria: