Farm Animal Welfare Policy in Comparative Perspective: Determinants of Cross-national Differences in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland

Abstract

Societal concerns for the welfare of animals are increasing: a majority of Europeans believe that farm animals should be better protected. Even so, there is no systematic policy analytic assessment of the development and the determinants of animal welfare policy. This paper addresses these research gaps and contributes to the inclusion of the field of animal welfare in policy analysis. Austria, Germany, and Switzerland share comprehensive legislation in the field of farm animal welfare. However, concrete policies vary considerably between the three countries. Through an international comparison, the paper characterizes diverging policy instruments and identifies possible determinants of farm animal welfare policy derived from established theories of policy analysis. While perspectives focusing on party political difference add to the understanding of farm animal welfare policy in Germany and in Austria, this does not apply to the case of Switzerland. Here, theories focusing on the degree of international economic integration have a greater potential in understanding cross-national differences. The paper thereby presents a first systematic assessment of farm animal welfare from a policy analysis perspective.