EU Policy Portfolio
A high-impact opportunity for funders to transform animal welfare in Europe
The European Union (EU) is a critical region for advancing animal welfare. With billions of animals confined on factory farms, the EU offers unique and neglected opportunities to create large-scale change through legislative reform, corporate accountability, and movement-building.
By banning cages and improving welfare standards for billions of animals, there is substantial potential to lead global reforms through coordinated policy advocacy and funding at the EU and country levels. A handful of donors giving between 200k and 1m a year could make the difference in the entire region.
Desired Impact
Legislative Bans: Advocate for EU and national bans on cages for animals, sparing 300 million farmed animals annually.
Corporate Accountability: Ensure companies fulfill commitments to phase out cages and improve welfare for chickens raised for meat, benefiting up to 6.4 billion birds annually.
Movement Strengthening: Build capacity for public engagement, political lobbying, and sustained grassroots action to counter industry influence.
Why the EU is Key
Scale and Global Influence: Billions of animals are raised and slaughtered annually and EU standards often set international benchmarks, influencing corporate policies and trade agreements worldwide.
Legislative Momentum: A potential review of EU farm animal laws by 2026 offers a crucial window for reform.
Room for Growth: Despite its talent and track record, the EU movement remains underfunded compared to the U.S., with significant potential for impact through additional resources.
Strategic Focus Areas
Movement Building: Strengthen grassroots mobilization, foster collaboration among advocacy groups, and increase public support for reforms.
Corporate Reform: Hold companies accountable for cage-free commitments and advance welfare improvements for chickens raised for meat.
National Legislation: Support key countries like Germany, France, and Poland while empowering smaller nations critical to EU-level reforms.
EU Advocacy: Fund lobbying efforts in Brussels to influence the 2026 legislative review and ensure coordination between national and EU-level campaigns.
Communications: Advocate for animal welfare in trade agreements and improve the movement’s capacity to counter industry narratives effectively.
Why Your Support Matters
In 2024, The Navigation Fund committed $7.8M over two years to organizations across Europe. However, the European movement for animal protection could effectively absorb at least $5M more annually for this project. Investments in this portfolio would support impactful organizations, expand the movement’s capacity, and create lasting change for animals.
How We Will Measure Success
New national and EU-level cage bans.
Fulfillment of corporate commitments to improve animal welfare.
Increased public mobilization and local fundraising capacity.
Ready to Make a Difference?
Learn more about our charity recommendations: list of recommended charities available upon request
For more information and funder-specific portfolios Contact Zoë Sigle (zoe@farmedanimalfunders.org) or Jesse Marks (jesse@navigation.org)
The EU remains one of the most influential regions for farm animal welfare reform.
With your support, we can seize this window of opportunity to transform the lives of billions of animals and and set a new global benchmark that will eliminate some of the most abusive and widespread practices inflicted on animals. Thank you for considering this opportunity to create a lasting impact.
