Animal Welfare Approved

1. Review AWA Standards: Download and read the species-specific AWA standards relevant to your operation (e.g., Beef Cattle, Laying Hens, Pigs) from the AGW website. Make sure your farming practices align with the requirements for outdoor pasture access, housing, feed, health management, transport, and slaughter.

1. Contact an AGW Outreach Coordinator: Reach out to AGW's Farmer and Market Outreach Coordinator before applying. They can answer questions about eligibility, standards, and the certification process specific to your farm and species.

1. Conduct a Self-Assessment: Compare your current farm practices against the AWA standards for each species you raise. Identify any gaps in housing, outdoor access, health protocols, or slaughter arrangements that would need to be addressed before applying.

1. Review the Fee Schedule: Check AGW's current Fee Schedule to understand application and annual renewal costs. Note that certification itself is designed to be accessible — AGW does not charge a per-label royalty fee, though application and renewal fees apply.

1. Submit Your Application Online: Complete the online application at agreenerworld.org. Application fees are non-refundable, so only apply once you are confident your operation meets the standards.

1. Undergo On-Site Audit: An AGW staff member or authorized agent will schedule an on-site farm visit to verify compliance with AWA standards. The auditor will inspect housing, pasture access, records, feed, health management, and slaughter arrangements. Additional visits may occur across different seasons.

1. Receive Certification Decision: If your farm meets all AWA standards, you will receive certification and the right to use the Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW label on your products.

1. Maintain Annual Certification: Renew your certification each year by undergoing at least one annual on-site audit and paying the renewal fee. Stay current with any updates to AWA standards.

Animal Welfare Approved evaluates farms against detailed, species-specific standards that cover the full lifecycle of each animal — from birth through slaughter. Standards exist for beef cattle and calves, dairy cattle and calves, pigs, sheep, dairy sheep, goats, dairy goats, laying hens, meat chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, bison and calves, and working dogs. Each standard is tailored to the natural behaviors and physiological needs of that species.

The core assessment areas across all species include: Outdoor Access and Pasture (animals must have continuous access to pasture or range for their entire lives — no confinement-only systems are permitted); Housing and Environment (shelter must allow animals to express natural behaviors, with appropriate space, bedding, and environmental enrichment); Feed and Nutrition (feed must be appropriate to the species, with no routine use of growth promotants or non-therapeutic antibiotics); Health Management (farms must have written health plans, use preventive care, and minimize the use of medications — sick animals must be treated humanely); Breeding and Reproduction (standards restrict certain intensive breeding practices that compromise welfare); Transport (AWA is the only U.S. label to require audited high-welfare transport practices, including limits on journey times, stocking densities, and handling methods); and Slaughter (AWA requires that slaughter facilities used by certified farms meet audited high-welfare standards, covering stunning, handling, and kill methods).

For food brands, distributors, and processors, a separate set of standards applies to ensure that AWA-certified ingredients are handled and labeled correctly throughout the supply chain. Documentation review during audits includes farm records, veterinary logs, feed receipts, and transport records. Auditors may conduct unannounced visits across different seasons to observe animals at various life stages.

Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) is widely regarded as the most rigorous farm animal welfare certification available in the United States and Canada. Its distinction as the only label rated "excellent" by Consumer Reports — for both the strength of its standards and the rigor of its verification — sets it apart from competitors such as Certified Humane, American Humane Certified, and Global Animal Partnership (GAP). While GAP operates a tiered system (Steps 1–6) that allows some indoor production at lower tiers, AWA maintains a single, uncompromising standard requiring outdoor pasture access for the animals' entire lives. This makes AWA the preferred label for consumers and retailers seeking the highest assurance of humane treatment.

AWA is particularly strong in the independent and direct-market farming sector. Its no-fee-for-certification model (AGW does not charge per-label royalties) makes it financially accessible to small and mid-sized farms that might be priced out of other programs. The program has grown steadily since its founding in 2006 and is now one of the top five fastest-growing certification and label claims in the U.S., according to AGW. The Hartman Group's consumer research has consistently found AWA to have the highest single impact on purchasing decisions of any food label — a significant market advantage for certified producers.

Demand for high-welfare animal products is growing, driven by increasing consumer awareness of factory farming, retailer sustainability commitments, and policy pressure. AWA is well-positioned to benefit from these trends, though its strict standards mean it will always represent a smaller, premium segment of the market rather than a mass-market certification. Its primary competition comes from Certified Humane (which allows some indoor production) and GAP (which has broader retail penetration through Whole Foods Market). AWA's reputation for independence and scientific rigor gives it strong credibility with advocacy organizations, journalists, and discerning consumers, even if its farm count remains smaller than some competitors.

Animal Welfare Approved was founded in 2006 by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, in response to growing consumer demand for credible, independently verified farm animal welfare labels. At the time, most animal welfare claims on food packaging were either self-certified or based on standards that permitted significant confinement. AWA was designed from the outset to be the most rigorous standard available, requiring outdoor pasture access for animals' entire lives and covering not just production but also transport and slaughter — areas largely ignored by competing programs.

In 2014, AWA transitioned from AWI to become an independent program under A Greener World (AGW), a newly formed nonprofit dedicated to supporting sustainable and humane farming. This move reinforced the program's independence and allowed it to expand its suite of certifications to include Certified Grassfed by AGW, Certified Non-GMO by AGW, and Certified Regenerative by AGW. Since its founding, AWA has grown to become one of the most respected food labels in North America, earning its "excellent" rating from Consumer Reports and recognition from The Hartman Group as the food label with the highest single impact on consumer purchasing decisions. The program continues to update its species-specific standards in collaboration with scientists, veterinarians, and farmers to reflect advances in animal welfare science.