The European Market for Animal-Friendly Products in a Societal Context
Drawing on data from the EU’s “EconWelfare” project, as well as an extensive series of stakeholder and expert workshops in eight different European countries, this paper addresses how and when civil society has an impact on animal welfare. While the authors concede that, in some ways, there “is a fundamental contradiction between economic interests and animal interests,” they use their intensive research to delineate ways in which policy-makers and the public can bridge the gap between profitability and ethics. They see the close cooperation and mutual understanding of three levels of stakeholders (consumers, policy-makers and farmers) across borders as the only way to improve animal welfare in Europe as a whole, especially given the fact that there are certain countries (Denmark and The Netherlands) that are key exporters to the rest of the continent.
This study looks at the feasibility of improving animal welfare across Europe. The authors open their study by clearly defining what animal welfare is: “[it] is about an animal’s ability to cope with its environment. […] Animal welfare is in the first place influenced by its direct environment.” Though it may seem like a rudimentary point, it is crucial for understanding how the rest of the study unfolds. “For farm animals,” they say, “this environment is largely determined by the production chain, including all chain members that directly influence how the animal feels—the primary animal caretakers: farmers; transporters; and slaughterers—but excluding members that have no direct influence on how the animal feels—meat or milk processors, retailers, and consumers.” All of the other factors that only affect animal welfare indirectly, is referred to as “society,” and the authors note that although the influence is indirect, “society” can still influence the behaviors of the production chain, which in turn influence animal welfare.
With this definition as a starting point, the authors then drew on data from the EU “EconWelfare” project, and conducted a series of stakeholder and expert workshops in Germany, Italy, Macedonia, The Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Speaking to stakeholders from animal welfare groups, industry lobbies, and major retailers, the researchers gained valuable insight into how animal welfare is viewed in Europe, in a holistic way. They noted that “all stakeholders expressed that public awareness was increasing, due to, amongst others, animal-interest group campaigns and media attention.” For their part, retailers said that they had “responded in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policies and are now competing on the basis of animal welfare, thereby further bringing animal welfare to the attention of the consumer.” Part of this increasing awareness is due to the hard work of animal interest groups and the PR reactions of retailers. However, researchers noted that demographics also play a big role: “Even in countries that traditionally depend on the state to make improvements in animal welfare, a young and urban middle class is rising that appears to have some “willingness to pay” (WTP) for animal-friendly products.”
Though the research does indicate that awareness of animal welfare is increasing, and that conditions may improve as a result, the fragmented nature of the European supply chain is problematic. “Because the production is concentrated in several exporting countries that produce more than they consume (in particular The Netherlands and Denmark),” researchers say, it is not sufficient for civil society and policy-makers in non-exporting countries to act within their own borders and expect larger change. “In an absence of more homogeneous standards to develop the middle market in their exporting countries,” they say “producers may refrain from any improvements at all.” It is important to work across various levels, and cross borders, but researchers encourage a positive outlook: “a more animal-friendly future that is achieved through the market is not necessarily a utopic goal. Such a future can, however, only be created with substantial policy attention from not only market stakeholders, but also civil society and governmental stakeholders in society to guide the market in the desired direction.”
Original Abstract:
This article takes a future focus on the direction in which social forces develop the market for animal-friendly products in Europe. On the basis of qualitative data gathered in the context of the European EconWelfare project, the differences across eight European countries are studied. The findings suggest that, given international trade barriers that prevent an improvement of animal welfare through legislation, many stakeholders believe that the market is the most viable direction to improve farm animal welfare. Economic productivity of the chain remains, however, an issue that on a fundamental level conflicts with the objective to improve animal welfare. With the help of a deeper conceptual understanding of willingness to pay for animal welfare, the paper finds that the European market for animal-friendly products is still largely fragmented and that the differences between European countries are considerable. A more animal-friendly future that is achieved through the market will therefore need substantial policy attention from stakeholders in society.
http://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/3/3/808