Eurogroup for Animals believes that to meet consumer demand and to improve the care and treatment of farm animals, industry should take responsibility for introducing a series of high voluntary welfare standards.

Eurogroup has defined these standards by using scientific and veterinary research and by taking practical advice from the farming industry and veterinarians. The standards can be used as a basis for industry and to benchmark good livestock practices. Although they are significantly higher than the current EU legal minimum requirements, the standards are not restrictively high with the consequence that they can be introduced by a substantial proportion of EU farmers.

Eurogroup standards cover nutrition, environment, health, management, transport and slaughter of farm animals commonly farmed for food. They are based on the following principles of the Five Freedoms which where developed by Professor John Webster of Bristol University and founder of the UK's Farm Animal Welfare Council: