Good animal welfare - gains for animals, farmers and society

The strict, and unique, Swedish farm animal welfare legislation is currently under challenge, with the claim that it is costly and does not provide enough competitive advantage for Swedish farmers. These claims are not evidence based, because research in this area is lacking. The few studies available have significant shortcomings because they do not take the benefits of good animal welfare into account. In this multidisciplinary project, focusing on beef producing herds, we will:
1) study the economic impact of different animal welfare improving practices at the farm level. This is done both by economic models, supplemented by in-depth interviews with farmers, and by using balance sheets from actual farms combined with information of the herds' welfare situation.
2) assess how and which societal factors that influence, or are influenced by, different animal welfare levels and explore ethical challenges in transformation of ethical values to monetary terms and risks related to an increased use of antibiotics as a consequence of lower animal welfare standards. The results from this project will provide important information for consumers, the industry and policymakers, and thus enable evidence based decisions regarding the future of animal husbandry.