Transforming Animal Welfare: New Tool Developed for Economic Valuation

A groundbreaking tool for evaluating the economic value of farm animal welfare improvements has been introduced, which could significantly alter the way consumers, retailers, and governments assess animal welfare policies.

This new system assigns comparable welfare scores to various farming methods, facilitating a connection to what UK families are willing to pay for enhanced animal welfare. The initiative comes from the University of Reading.

According to Professor Richard Bennett, the project lead, the absence of a standardized measurement for animal welfare has hindered its inclusion in policy-making processes for far too long. He stated, “This research finally provides that tool. Farmers, retailers, and the government can now evaluate whether welfare improvements offer good value for money, utilizing welfare scores derived from independent expert judgement and genuine public preferences.”

Understanding Welfare Scoring

The assessment employs a scoring system ranging from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates severe suffering and 100 indicates optimal welfare. An expert panel of 14 independent animal scientists evaluated various farming systems, taking into account factors from physical health to mental wellbeing, as well as opportunities for natural behaviors throughout the animals’ lifecycle.

The research included a survey of over 3,000 UK households to ascertain how much they would be willing to pay for welfare enhancements. Findings indicated that public valuation for animal welfare improvements increases when current conditions are subpar, while their willingness to pay decreases as welfare standards improve.

Welfare Insights Across Different Farm Animals

The study assessed various farming scenarios, unveiling significant disparities in welfare scores:

• Layers: Caged egg production has a score of just 32 out of 100, compared to 51 for free-range systems. Households would collectively invest £496 million annually to transition the 21% of hens currently in cages to free-range housing, translating to approximately 20p per egg.
• Broilers: Increasing the space provided per broiler chicken would improve welfare scores from 38 to 47, with an annual valuation of £997 million, equating to 92p per bird.
• Pigs: Indoor pig farming using farrowing crates scores just 27, the lowest among assessed systems. Abolishing the crates would raise the welfare score to 47, valued at £1.4 billion (£2.52 per kg of pork). Even a limited use of crates would yield benefits.
• Dairy Cows: Current dairy practices score 43, with 30% of cows afflicted by lameness. Reducing lameness to only 5% could elevate the welfare score to 56, valued at £1.7 billion per year (11p per litre of milk).
• Lambs: Implementing pain relief during lamb castration could increase welfare scores from 53 to 56, valued at £320 million annually (£1.12 per kg). Complete elimination of castration would boost the score to 60, worth £717 million per year.

A Collective Responsibility to Ensure Animal Welfare

This research, commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and conducted by the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development at the University of Reading, shows a strong public consensus on the importance of welfare improvements. A remarkable 85% of respondents acknowledged a moral obligation to protect animal welfare, and 86% expressed support for regulatory measures aimed at enhancing welfare standards across all farmed animals.

The welfare assessment framework draws from the esteemed Five Domains of Animal Welfare model, and incorporates elements of the EU Welfare Quality protocols. This innovative approach takes a holistic view of animal welfare, encompassing mental states and overall life experiences rather than merely physical assessments conducted during farm visits.

Streamlining Policy Evaluation with Welfare Valuation Tables

The newly developed welfare valuation tables will assist policymakers in rapidly estimating the benefits of proposed welfare improvements. For instance, if a new policy aims to enhance broiler welfare from a score of 40 to 45, decision-makers can refer to the table to calculate the potential annual benefit of £628.8 million by multiplying the value (£22.14 per household per year) by the total number of UK households (28.4 million).

These estimated benefits can then be weighed against associated costs to ascertain whether the policies represent economically sound decisions.

David Bowles, head of public affairs at the RSPCA, remarked, “As a nation of animal lovers, people are increasingly concerned about the origins of their food and deserve adequate information about the welfare of animals raised for consumption. This significant research reinforces that consumers are willing to pay a premium to ensure that farmed animals lead better lives.”

The complete report can be accessed here.