Farmed Animals and the Law: Legal Pathways Beyond Intensive Farming

Farmed Animals and the Law: Legal Pathways Beyond Intensive Farming is a concise and practical guide to the laws regulating farmed animals in the UK, placing them within the wider context of food system governance and climate commitments.

Farmed animal law is often equated with welfare legislation, but in reality it spans a wide range of domains: subsidies and competition, investment and finance, markets and trade, food safety and standards, sanitary and phytosanitary rules, labelling and consumer protection, as well as planning and environmental law. Together, these frameworks shape the UK food system and influence how the country meets its international obligations, including under the Paris Agreement. With around 85% of farmed animals in the UK reared in intensive systems, the handbook focuses in particular on the regulation and future of intensive farming.

Despite their importance, these legal regimes remain fragmented and underexplored. Lawyers working in specialist fields often lack a broader point of reference, while NGOs and campaigners may not have the expertise to navigate technical frameworks. This book addresses that gap by providing a clear, accessible overview that combines legal accuracy with usability. Each chapter is designed for quick reference: setting out the relevant statutes, regulations, and case law, explaining their operation, and identifying the practical implications for enforcement and accountability. The book moves from the immediate level of farm welfare and planning permission through to international trade and climate regimes, tracing the links between animal agriculture, markets, and sustainability. The result is a unique resource - authoritative yet approachable, academically grounded yet practice-focused - for lawyers, students, NGOs, and others concerned with the future of farming, food, and climate.