A legal analysis of agricultural subsidies as instruments for supporting animal welfare in Sweden and Finland and systematisation of controls

Abstract

This article examines which farm subsidy instruments Finland and Sweden use to support animal welfare and how national animal welfare standards that exceed European Union minimum requirements affect the legal framework for controls and the use of subsidy instruments. The study combines doctrinal and comparative legislative analysis with empirical analysis of the national CAP Strategic Plans of Finland and Sweden. The findings show that Finland employs a broader range of voluntary animal welfare instruments, whereas Sweden’s approach is more targeted. The analysis further demonstrates that where national animal welfare standards exceed EU minimum requirements, the scope for voluntary support becomes narrower and animal welfare controls more layered. Official animal welfare controls and subsidy controls form an overlapping regulatory structure based on both EU and national legislation. In Member States with more stringent welfare requirements, the complexity of legislative framework may contribute to the administrative burden on both farmers and authorities.