Contrasting Attitudes Towards Animal Welfare Issues Within The Food Chain
This essay discusses the rise of factory farming and consumer concern about animal welfare in Europe. The authors point out that, although a majority of EU consumers express concern about farmed animal living conditions, price is still the over-riding factor in purchase decisions. Credible documentation of superior animal living conditions is needed before consumers will pay more. However, the authors note that most of the profit margin on farmed animal products is taken by retailers and intermediaries, not farmers, so cost may not be the primary driver of pricing.
[Abstract excerpted from original source.]
“Intensive systems have facilitated the production of animal-based products at relatively low prices. On one hand, these methods have been increasingly considered to be responsible for a dramatic reduction in animal welfare, as indicated by the high prevalence of stereotypies in sows, brittle bones in hens, lameness in broilers and short life span in dairy cattle. As a consequence, large segments of animal welfare-sensitive consumers have been identified. On the other hand, price conscious consumers, if accepting higher prices, are more likely to require explicit justification of returns in quality. Therefore, scientifically validated monitoring systems for assessing the welfare of farm animals have been developed in order to provide a certification system, allow the differentiation of animal-based products through constant and reliable signaling systems, and promote animal welfare friendly farming systems.”
http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/3/2/551