Increasing consumer awareness of welfare

ANIMAL welfare labels should be introduced across all meat and dairy products to help improve standards on the farm, a Government advisory panel claimed this week.

Publishing its opinion on Government policy instruments, the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) recommended a new labelling system would encourage farmers to pay greater attention to animal welfare.

Overall, the report concluded Government instruments to protect animal welfare are appropriate, but advises more work could be done at a consumer level to promote welfare.

It highlights the power of consumers which has recently seen a rapid rise in brands such as Freedom Foods, sold primarily on the back of welfare criteria and said these principles could be transferred to the whole supply chain.

The report said: “Given the potential power of the consumer and of markets in improving welfare, serious consideration needs to be given to the provision of appropriate information to consumers to allow them to make informed choices concerning their purchasing of food products based on their animal welfare provenance.

Widely recognised

“This will require an appropriate labelling system to be developed and for this to be widely recognised, accepted and adopted by the food supply industries and by consumers.”

The recommendations will be passed on to Defra, and although they do not need to be acted upon, they will instead be used by Ministers in future discussions over policy.

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