It is widely believed that the high productive performance of an animal compromises its welfare. Nevertheless, continuous growth in productivity has seemed to be the only answer to the price-cost squeeze to which farmers are subjected. This paradigm is now being challenged worldwide by NGOs, consumers, and increasingly so also by policymakers.Better animal welfare can be achieved by a system change in the entire or crucial parts of the farm. Examples are well-managed free-range systems versus enriched cages for hens, free farrowing pens for sows versus farrowing crates. But such improvements in animal welfare are often associated with higher costs and so risk the competitiveness of the farm if they are not associated with higher prices for the products. Willingness of farmers to produce in this way and consumers willingness to pay for these positive externalities are still underdeveloped areas of research.Another approach to payback inherent investments and operational costs, can come from benefits related to better animal health, improved reproduction, longevity etc. This source of possible benefits, however, is the subject of debate among animal production scientists and economists. How strong is the evidence for a positive correlation between these performance indicators and higher levels of animal welfare? Does a high animal welfare status actually result in lower veterinary and medicine costs and, if so, to what extent is this realized in practice? Can animal welfare assessment systems be a methodological tool to disentangle the complex relationship between animal performance and animal welfare? These are among the many questions that still need to be addressed when we consider the future of animal production and how to mitigate any cost associated with an investment in more animal friendly systems?We wish to host contributions that contribute to a better understanding of the links between animal welfare and the economic sustainability of livestock and poultry farms.
It is widely believed that the high productive performance of an animal compromises its welfare. Nevertheless, continuous growth in productivity has seemed to be the only answer to the price-cost squeeze to which farmers are subjected. This paradigm is now being challenged worldwide by NGOs, consumers, and increasingly so also by policymakers.Better animal welfare can be achieved by a system change in the entire or crucial parts of the farm. Examples are well-managed free-range systems versus enriched cages for hens, free farrowing pens for sows versus farrowing crates. But such improvements in animal welfare are often associated with higher costs and so risk the competitiveness of the farm if they are not associated with higher prices for the products. Willingness of farmers to produce in this way and consumers willingness to pay for these positive externalities are still underdeveloped areas of research.Another approach to payback inherent investments and operational costs, can come from benefits related to better animal health, improved reproduction, longevity etc. This source of possible benefits, however, is the subject of debate among animal production scientists and economists. How strong is the evidence for a positive correlation between these performance indicators and higher levels of animal welfare? Does a high animal welfare status actually result in lower veterinary and medicine costs and, if so, to what extent is this realized in practice? Can animal welfare assessment systems be a methodological tool to disentangle the complex relationship between animal performance and animal welfare? These are among the many questions that still need to be addressed when we consider the future of animal production and how to mitigate any cost associated with an investment in more animal friendly systems?We wish to host contributions that contribute to a better understanding of the links between animal welfare and the economic sustainability of livestock and poultry farms.