https://doi.org/10.4081/ijfs.2026.14676
Animal welfare in the European agri-food market: law, policy and veterinary roles
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Published: 31 March 2026
Animal welfare has evolved from an ethical principle into a binding operational standard within the European Union (EU) agri-food system. Based on a documentary analysis combining legal and veterinary sources, this short communication examines how EU law integrates welfare requirements into food safety, trade, and official controls. The findings highlight three outcomes: the institutionalization of welfare as a trade condition; its judicial recognition as a legitimate public interest; and the expansion of the veterinarian’s mandate as a translator of legal norms into measurable procedures. The analysis also explores the ethical and human-rights dimensions of welfare governance, where freedom of religion and animal protection coexist under EU and World Trade Organization law. These developments demonstrate how veterinarians, as both technical and institutional actors, contribute to the effective implementation of EU welfare principles within a sustainability-oriented global market.
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CRediT authorship contribution
Francesco Emanuele Celentano: conceptualization, investigation, writing – original draft preparation. Michela Maria Dimuccio, Pasquale De Marzo: writing, legal and technical analysis. Maria Losito, Virginia Conforti: review and editing. Angela Dambrosio, Giancarlo Bozzo: conceptualization and supervision. All the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
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