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Consumer Preferences for Animal Welfare Attributes: The Case of Gestation Crates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 January 2015

Glynn T. Tonsor ,
Nicole Olynk  and
Christopher Wolf
Glynn T. Tonsor
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Nicole Olynk
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Christopher Wolf
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
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Abstract

Animal welfare concerns are having dramatic impacts on food and livestock markets. Here we examine consumer preferences for pork products with a focus on use of gestation crates. We examine underlying consumer valuations of pork attributes while considering preference heterogeneity as well as voluntary and legislative alternatives in producing gestation crate-free pork. Our results suggest that prohibiting swine producers from using gestation crates fails to improve consumer welfare in the presence of a labeling scheme documenting voluntary disadoption of gestation crates. Consumers are found to implicitly associate animal welfare attributes with smaller farms. Preference heterogeneity drives notably diverse consumer welfare impacts when pork produced with use of gestation crates is no longer available for consumption.

Keywords

animal welfareconsumer welfareeconomics of legislationgestation cratesporkswinevoluntary labelingwillingness to payQ11Q13Q18
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics , Volume 41 , Issue 3 , December 2009 , pp. 713 - 730
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2009

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