Perceived importance and responsibility for market-driven pig welfare: literature review

TY - JOUR

T1 - Perceived importance and responsibility for market-driven pig welfare

T2 - literature review

AU - Thorslund, Cecilie Agnete H

AU - Aaslyng, Margit Dall

AU - Lassen, Jesper

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - This review explores barriers and opportunities for market-driven pig welfare in Europe. It finds, first, that consumers generally rank animal welfare as important, but they also rank it low relative to other societal problems. Second, consumers have a wide range of concerns about pig welfare, but they focus especially on naturalness. Third, pig welfare is seen as an important indicator of meat quality. Fourth, consumers tend to think that responsibility for pig welfare lies with several actors: farmers, governments and themselves. The paper concludes that there is an opportunity for the market-driven strategy to sell a narrative about naturalness supplemented with other attractive qualities (such as eating quality). It also emphasizes that pig welfare needs to be on the political/societal agenda permanently if it is to be viewed as an important issue by consumers and if consumers are to assume some sort of responsibility for it.

AB - This review explores barriers and opportunities for market-driven pig welfare in Europe. It finds, first, that consumers generally rank animal welfare as important, but they also rank it low relative to other societal problems. Second, consumers have a wide range of concerns about pig welfare, but they focus especially on naturalness. Third, pig welfare is seen as an important indicator of meat quality. Fourth, consumers tend to think that responsibility for pig welfare lies with several actors: farmers, governments and themselves. The paper concludes that there is an opportunity for the market-driven strategy to sell a narrative about naturalness supplemented with other attractive qualities (such as eating quality). It also emphasizes that pig welfare needs to be on the political/societal agenda permanently if it is to be viewed as an important issue by consumers and if consumers are to assume some sort of responsibility for it.

KW - Consumer perception

KW - Europe

KW - Market-driven welfare

KW - Meat quality

KW - Pigs

U2 - 10.1016/j.meatsci.2016.11.008

DO - 10.1016/j.meatsci.2016.11.008

M3 - Review

C2 - 27886640

AN - SCOPUS:84996528096

SN - 0309-1740

VL - 125

SP - 37

EP - 45

JO - Meat Science

JF - Meat Science

ER -