Who are the Drivers of Change? On the Growing Role of Retailers in Ongoing Attempts to Reorient Markets for Animal Welfare

Esbjerg, Lars; Laursen, Klaus Brønd; Schulze, Maureen

doi:10.1080/09593969.2022.2090992

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…One challenge will be to balance economic viability in the near term with the ability to pivot in response to market changes, including responding to new pressures from retailers and other actors along the value chain (Christensen et al 2019 ; Esbjerg et al 2022 ). Pressures that are frequently imposed in response to issues, like animal welfare that arguably fall into the social dimension of sustainability.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…"I have friends whose families have dairy, and it's just so hard for them to make money… I don't want the swine industry to get to that point, but if there's no open communication between anyone, I think it might eventually get there, and that scares the crap out of me" [P4F3; industry]. One challenge will be to balance economic viability in the near term with the ability to pivot in response to market changes, including responding to new pressures from retailers and other actors along the value chain (Christensen et al 2019;Esbjerg et al 2022). Pressures that are frequently imposed in response to issues, like animal welfare that arguably fall into the social dimension of sustainability.…”

Section: Economic Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Swine industry perspectives on the future of pig farming

von Keyserlingk,

Hendricks,

Ventura

et al. 2024

Anim. welf.

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Understanding the views of those working along the value chain reliant on livestock is an important step in supporting the transition towards more sustainable farming systems. We recruited 31 delegates attending the Pig Welfare Symposium held in the United States to participate in one of six focus group discussions on the future of pig farming. Each of these six group discussions was subjected to a thematic analysis that identified four themes: (1) technical changes on the farm; (2) farm and industry culture; (3) the farm-public interface; and (4) sustainability. The results of this study illustrate the complexity and diversity of views of those working along the associated value chain within the swine industry. Participants spent the majority of their time discussing current challenges, including technical challenges on the farm and public perception of pig farms. Participants were more hesitant to discuss future issues, but did engage on the broader issue of sustainability, focusing upon economic and environmental aspects.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Economic Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Swine industry perspectives on the future of pig farming

von Keyserlingk,

Hendricks,

Ventura

et al. 2024

Anim. welf.

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“…Meanwhile, more and more Chinese consumers are willing to pay for animal welfare-promoting products [ 151 ]. This drives retailers to follow animal welfare standards and use labels to create additional value [ 152 ]. Further, at the request of consumers and retailers, producers must improve the welfare of their laying hens to obtain better prices for their products and improve access to the market [ 153 , 154 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of Understory Production Systems to Improve Laying Hen Welfare

Yan

Yang

Zhu

et al. 2022

Animals

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The welfare of laying hens in cage systems is of increasing concern. Represented by the European Union’s ‘End the Cage Age’ initiative, more and more countries have advocated cage-free farming. China, an important country for poultry farming and consumption in the world, is highly dependent on cage systems and lacks confidence in alternative (e.g., free-range) systems. In this context, using China’s abundant woodland resources (including natural forests, plantations, and commercial forests) to facilitate the management of laying hens in a free-range environment may provide highly promising welfare improvement programs. On the basis of the Five Freedoms, we assess the welfare status of understory laying hen management systems with reference to the behavioural needs and preferences of laying hens and the EU standards for free-range and organic production (highest animal welfare standards in the world). The results show that the considered systems meet or even exceed these standards, in terms of key indicators such as outdoor and indoor stocking density, outdoor activity time, and food and drug use. Specifically, the systems provide sufficient organic food for laying hens without using antibiotics. They allow laying hens to avoid beak trimming, as well as to express nesting, foraging, perching, reproductive, dustbathing and other priority behaviours. The presence of roosters and higher use of woodland space allow the laying hens to achieve better feather and bone conditions, thus reducing stress and fear damage. Notably, the predation problem is not yet considered significant. Second, there is evidence that understory laying hen systems are profitable and have been welcomed and supported by farmers and governments in the southwest, south, and north of China. However, whether it can be scaled up is uncertain, and further research is needed. In addition, laying hens in this management system face various risks, such as foot injury, parasitism, and high dependence on consumer markets, which must be considered. Overall, agro-forestry, or accurately, understory poultry raising, provides opportunities and possibilities for free-range laying hens and welfare improvement in China and other countries.

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“…Over the last years, consumer interest in how livestock is raised and handled and thus how animal-based products such as milk, meat, and eggs are produced, has increased in the Western world ( Alonso et al., 2020 ). As a result, several market-driven initiatives tackling consumer demand for products produced with higher animal welfare standards were introduced ( Esbjerg et al., 2022 ). Nowadays, consumers are confronted with a variety of front-of-package food labels such as the “Beter Leven” label in the Netherlands or the “Initiative Tierwohl” in Germany.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%