The magazine revista Animals ’published an article last February entitled‘ Consumers Concerns and Perceptions of Farm Animal Welfare ’(Signed, Consumers Concerns and Perceptions of Farm Animal Welfare), signed by Marta E. Alonso de la Varga and José R. González-Montaña, both professors from the Veterinary Faculty of the University of León (ULE), and Juan M. Lomillos from the Cardenal Herrera CEU University.
The work analyzes the evolution in the last fifty years in the perception that society has about animal production systems, and concludes that there has been growing concern among citizens and consumers on the effects that the intensification of these systems has on the welfare of farm animals.
“In the last fifty years,” they explain, “the livestock sector has undergone unprecedented changes to cope with the growing demand for food derived from animals,” and indicate that in that period, “the world human population has increased by a factor of 2.4 and meat consumption by a factor of 4.7 ”.
The origin of the concern of society on this subject could be said that started with British legislation animal protection, animal welfare and animal rights 19th century, although in the last two decades an increasing number of consumers and citizens demand “ethical production systems and claim to refuse to buy products that do not meet their animal welfare concerns.”
In this regard, it is noted that surveys carried out in Europe indicated that the percentage of citizens who considered it very important to protect the welfare of farm animals increased from 34 to 57% between 2006 and 2015.
Marta E. Alonso (2nd left) and José R. González (1st right), with other members of the research group.
GOOD ANIMAL PRACTICES AVOID DISEASES AND EPIDEMICS
The article was published in ‘Animals’ in February 2020, when practically nothing was known about the pandemic that the coronavirus was going to generate worldwide, as a consequence of COVID-19, a virus whose origin seems to be linked to trade and consumption of wild animals in markets of the Chinese city of Wuhan.
Hence the importance that, as pointed out in the text, advocate for improve systems to achieve animals that live in conditions of good health and well-being, which could reduce the incidence of disease and the use of antibiotics, as part of a strategy to decrease global bacterial resistance, and this would result in better human health and well-being, all linked to the ‘One Health, One Welfare’ objective.
It is important to note that ‘animal friendly’ products, which come from farms with systems with higher levels of well-being, are not only perceived by consumers as healthier, but also “are considered to be of higher quality, tastier, more hygienic, safer, more acceptable, authentic, environmentally friendly and traditional ”.
The article signed by the two professors of the ULE points out that both consumers and citizens have the opportunity to improve the welfare of millions of farm animals now and in the future. Consumers taking responsibility at the point of purchase, and citizens by lobbying their political representatives to promote legislation that achieves a minimum standard of welfare conditions in animal production.
“Ranchers and other members of the food chain,” it is argued, “must be aware of public perceptions and evolving consumer concerns and attitudes to make informed decisions about the implementation of production practices on their farms that improve sustainability, social responsibility and public trust, to get ethical approval from society in general ”.
These demands will possibly be increased as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can generate changes in the perception of citizens about the treatment of animals, and also about the need to adopt measures that hinder the transmission of diseases. of animal origin to people.
–
–
