The British public overwhelmingly support a ban on the import of animal products which do not meet British animal welfare standards according to new survey data from Bryant Research’s 2025 Summer Survey.

According to the data, 89% say that the UK should be able to decide on the welfare standards of animal products being sold in the country – including imports. Remarkably, just 1% disagreed (10% neither or don’t know).

This level of consensus is rare in the UK – the 89% who agree on banning low-welfare imports is more than the 78% of Brits who agree that they like Christmas, more than the 82% who are comfortable with dogs, and more than the 84% who like pizza.

The survey, which captured attitudes of 1,000 Brits on a range of issues related to animal welfare, was conducted in August 2025 – but Bryant Research has been collecting similar survey data in the UK since 2022.

Two years ago, the Bryant Research Summer Survey asked the British public a similar question about whether the UK should ban low-welfare imports that do not meet UK production standards. At that time, we reported that 84% of the public supported such a ban, with just 4% opposed, a statistic which has been widely reported since.

When comparing our data from the 2023 and 2025 Summer Surveys, we noted an increase in support for bans on low-welfare imports – with total support now up to 89%, with just 3% opposed. We also saw a substantial increase in the proportion who “strongly agree” with these bans – that number is now at 70%. 

As well as asking about the UK’s decision-making power on animal welfare of imports overall, the survey asked about arrangements with three trading partners: the EU, the USA, and countries in Latin America.

High agreement with banning low-welfare imports was consistent across a range of potential trading partners including the EU (88%), the USA (90%), and Latin America (91%).

These measures have high support from the general public, but they have even higher support from British livestock farmers – 92% of whom support a ban on low-welfare imports into the UK.

With negotiations for a new UK-EU deal now underway, the UK must ensure it retains the power to make decisions about the animal products it imports. Without securing specific provisions in the deal, the UK may lose the ability to block imports that don’t meet its animal welfare standards, both from the EU and third countries.

Since their election last year, the Labour Party has been criticised by animal advocates for not implementing any of their animal welfare pledges, and equally shunned by farmers for ending inheritance tax exemptions. 

Banning low welfare imports is one of the rare issues on which British livestock farmers agree with the British animal protection movement – and both groups agree with 89% of the country. 

The evidence is clear: the UK supports banning low-welfare imports. Politicians must be bold and deliver on what is right for the country, our farmers, and for animals by ensuring that the UK retains its power to make decisions about the animal products we import and, crucially, uses that power to ban animal products that do not meet our standards.