Survey shows EU consumers want better animal welfare laws
Almost 9/10 consumers responded that they support better animal welfare laws for animals raised for consumption, and believe that the EU should act to update legislation to offer them protection.
In a new survey by BEUC, which aimed to analyse consumer’s attitudes on animal welfare, 6/10 consumers said that they have a low level of knowledge on animal welfare practices and 3/4r want a better labelling system for animal-derived products. Consumers expressed that they have a low trust in animal welfare claims by companies and 84% would react negatively to welfare-washing.
7/10 respondents expressed the need for the cost of transition to be equitably shared, and that the EU must provide funds to farmers to implement higher standards.
A large majority, 78%, agreed that imports of animal products should be subject to the same welfare rules as those produced in the EU. This has been supported by another report by Vrije Universiteit Brussel and BEUC, which concluded that EU trade policy is not sufficiently coherent with the Green Deal, and consumers must be treated fairly through import requirements, and through better labelling that allows them to make an informed choice.
With 9 in 10 consumers supporting new laws for better animal welfare, our survey confirms that the way we treat animals raised for food matters to people. It is high time the EU Commission delivered on its promises to revise EU laws on farm animal welfare
Monique Goyens, Director General, BEUC.
This survey spans Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. 1,000 respondents per country were surveyed in November 2023.
