Animal Welfare

Welfare Quality^®: Science and society improving animal welfare

Welfare Quality^® is an EU funded project about integration of animal welfare in the food quality chain: from public concern to improved welfare and transparent quality.

Teagasc, The Ashtown Food Research Centre, Teagasc is among thirty-nine institutes and universities (representing thirteen European countries) with specialist expertise participating in this integrated five year research project, which started in May 2004.

The project aims to accommodate societal concerns and market demands, to develop reliable on-farm monitoring systems, product information systems, and practical species-specific strategies to improve animal welfare. Throughout this Integrated Project effort is focused on three main species and their products: cattle (beef and dairy), pigs, and poultry (broiler chickens and laying hens).

The research program is designed to develop European standards for on-farm welfare assessment and product information systems as well as practical strategies for improving animal welfare. The standards for on-farm welfare assessment and information systems will be based upon consumer demands, the marketing requirements of retailers and stringent scientific validation. The key is to link informed animal product consumption to animal husbandry practices on the farm. The project therefore adopts a “fork to farm” rather than the traditional “farm to fork” approach”. Welfare Quality® will make significant contributions to the societal sustainability of European agriculture.

To-date the project has completed 48 focus groups with over 350 consumers across 7 European countries and was followed by a consumer survey in each of 7 countries. The focus group research results confirm that many contemporary European consumers are spatially and psychologically distanced from the realities of modern farming and they are poorly informed about specific issues of animal biology and farming practices and that most of their knowledge is derived from their experience of companion animals rather than farm animals. The research also shows that many consumers possess detailed understandings of the ethical issues behind farm animal welfare. They also held relevant views about what constitutes a good quality of life for farm animals and the types of welfare concerns they believe should be taken into account when monitoring and assessing welfare. Preliminary results from the consumer survey show that consumer awareness of animal welfare has increased since the early 1990s. While there has been an increase in support for animal welfare/rights groups, consumer concerns have not yet generated a new and significant demand except in the UK. Analysis of the consumer survey is on-going.

Consumer concerns about animal welfare and the impact on food choice

Consumer concerns about farm animal welfare and the impact of these concerns on food choice in Ireland were investigated. The aim was to identify and analyse the nature and level of consumer concern. The qualitative and quantitative studies demonstrated that although consumers are concerned about farm animal welfare, this concern is not a priority in food choice. Consumers use animal welfare as an indicator of other product attributes such as food safety, quality and healthiness, which they usually perceive as more important. Consequently, consumers equate good animal welfare standards with good food standards.

Consumers define animal welfare in terms of animals being allowed to lead natural lives. Natural to the consumer equates with production methods that ensure that the animals should be reared, fed, housed, and allowed to behave as close to natural conditions as possible. Irish consumers do not trust the Government or the food industry as sources of information, whom they see as willing to abdicate their responsibility for ensuring higher welfare standards to animal welfare and environmental organizations. When consumers do choose welfare products, invariably they buy free-range poultry or eggs. Consumers considered the lack of information and availability of welfare friendly products to be the main barriers to purchasing ‘animal-friendly’ products.

Consumers would like to see their concerns addressed through a combined strategy. This includes establishing acceptable minimum standards and changing agricultural policy to provide farmers with incentives to convert to higher welfare systems. This improvement on the supply side should be complemented by developments in the demand side including compulsory labelling, which provides consumers with information on animal welfare standards in various systems of production, and a public information campaign to inform and assist consumers in their purchase decisions (See more..).