Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Humane Treatment of Farm Animals

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
US Programs Affecting Food and Agricultural Marketing

Part of the book series: Natural Resource Management and Policy ((NRMP,volume 38))

Abstract

The welfare of farm animals is an increasingly important issue for the U.S. food and agricultural system. Dramatic improvements in productivity have contributed to lower consumer prices for animal products, but critics contend that this has been at the expense of the well-being of farm animals. The food and agricultural industry has responded to concerns by adopting a range of voluntary schemes designed to improve farm animal welfare. However, a range of activist groups, some of whom would like to see the elimination of animal agriculture entirely, have been increasingly successful in pressing for tighter regulation, particularly at the state level. The proliferation of regulations is likely to impose additional costs on producers and could place them at a competitive disadvantage. Despite the likelihood that higher standards will increase production costs, it would be extremely risky for the industry not to take a proactive approach to the animal welfare issue. A combination of strengthened voluntary actions, supported by more stringent penalties for those who fail to follow accepted practices, could satisfy the welfare concerns of the vast majority of Americans who wish to continue to consume animal products.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Agra CAES Consulting Ltd. (2004). Study on the socio-economic implications of the various systems to keep laying hens. Report prepared for the European Commission. December.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allison, R. (2010). “EU cage eggs threaten UK market after 2012”. Farmers Weekly Interactive, February 2. Accessed at http://www.fwi.co.uk on November 3, 2010.

  • American Humane Association (2011). “Farm Animal Welfare.” Accessed at http://www.americanhumane.org on June 5, 2011.

  • Andersen, L.M. (2011). “Animal welfare and eggs – cheap talk or money on the counter?” Journal of Agricultural Economics 62: 565-584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Appleby, M.C. (2003). “The European Union ban on conventional cages for laying hens: History and prospects”. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 6: 103-121.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asher, L., L.M. Collins, A. Ortiz-Pelaez, J.A. Drewe, C.J. Nicol and D.U. Pfeiffer (2009). “Recent advances in the analysis of behavioural organization and interpretation as indicators of animal welfare”. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 6:1103-1119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. (1974). “A theory of social interactions.” Journal of Political Economy 82: 1063-1093.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, R. (1995). “The value of farm animal welfare.” Journal of Agricultural Economics 46: 46-60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blandford, D. and L. Fulponi (1999). “Emerging public concerns in agriculture: domestic policies and international trade commitments.” European Review of Agricultural Economics 26(3): 409-424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blandford, D., J.C. Bureau, L. Fulponi and S. Henson (2002). “Potential implications of animal welfare concerns and public policies in industrialized countries for international trade.” In B. Krissoff, M. Bohman and J.A. Caswell (eds.) Global Food Trade and Consumer Demand for Quality, New York: Kluwer, pp. 77-99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blandford, D. (2011). “International Trade Policies and Ecosystem Services.” In Ecosystem Services and Global Trade in Natural Resources. In T. Koellner (ed.), Abingdon, Oxon, Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brambell, F. (1965). Report of the Technical Committee to Enquire into the Welfare of Animals Kept under Intensive Husbandry Systems. Command Paper 2836. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, K.H. and J. Hollingsworth (2005). “The Food Marketing Institute and the National Council of Chain Restaurants: animal welfare and the retail food industry in the United States of America”, Rev. sci. tech. Off. Int. Epiz. 24(2): 655-663.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casert, R. (2012). “Illegal chicken cages: lack of enforcement indicates larger European Union policy issues”, Huffington Post 01/11/12. Accessed on April 23, 2012 at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com

  • Centner, T.J. (2010). “Limitations on the confinement of food animals in the United States.” Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 23:469-486.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemens, R. (2003). “Integration in the North American livestock and meat industries.” Iowa Ag Review, 9: 8-9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowan, T. (2010). “Humane treatment of farm animals: overview and issues.” CRS report RS21978, Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. September 13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Croney, C.C. and S.T. Millman (2007). “The ethical and behavioral bases from farm animal welfare legislation”. Journal of Animal Science 85:556-565.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, M. (1998), “Evolution and animal welfare”, Quarterly Review of Biology 73:305-328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawkins, M. (2006). “A user’s guide to animal welfare science.” Trends in Ecology and Evolution 21: 77-82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, D. (1995). “Science, values and animal welfare: exploring the inextricable connection”, Animal Welfare 4: 103–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fraser, D. (2008). Understanding Animal Welfare: The Science in its Cultural Context, Wiley-Blackwell: Oxford, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, B. (2003). ”The Economic System of U.S. Animal Agriculture and the Incidence of Cost Increases.” In R. Reynnells (ed). Sharing Costs of Changes in Food Animal Production: Producers, Consumers, Society and the Environment. USDA/CSREES.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halverson, M.K. (2001). Farm Animal Health and Well-Being. Report Prepared for the Minnesota Planning Agency. Accessed on 10/18/2010 at: http://www.mnplan.state.mn.us/eqb/geis/TWP_AnimalHealth.pdf

  • Harrison, R. (1964). Animal Machines: The New Factory Farming Industry. Vincent Stuart, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herzog, H., A. Rowan and D. Kossow (2001). “Social attitudes to animals.” In D.J. Salem and A.N. Rowan (eds) The State of Animals: 2001. Washington DC.: Humane Society Press. Accessed on 10/18/2010 at: http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/humane_bookshelf/the_state_of_the_animals_2001.html

  • Johnson, R. (2011). Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook, Report LDP-M-2011. Washington, DC: Economic Research Service, USDA. March 16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Key, N. and W. McBride (2007). The changing economics of U.S. hog production, Economic Research Report No. ERR-52, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lay, D.C. Jr., R.M. Fulton, P.Y. Hester, D.M. Karcher, J.B. Kjaer, J.A. Mench, B.A. Mullens, R.C. Newberry, N.P. O’Sullivan and R.E. Porter (2011). “Hen welfare in different housing systems”. Poultry Science 90:278-294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lusk, J.L., F. B. Norwood and R.W. Prickett (2007). Consumer preferences for farm animal welfare: Results of a nationwide telephone survey. Working Paper. Department of Agricultural Economics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lusk, J.L. and F.B. Norwood (2008). “A survey to determine public opinion about the ethics and governance of farm animal welfare”. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 233: 1121-1126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lusk, J.L. (2010). “The effect of proposition 2 on the demand for eggs in California”. Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization 8 (1) article 3. Available at: http://www.bepress.com/jafio/vol8/iss1/art3

  • McCarter, W. (2009). “New Jersey Supreme Court invalidates certain animal welfare regulations”, Summary of a Recent Judicial Development in Animal Welfare, National Agricultural Law Center, February 5. Accessed on 10/18/2010 at: http://nationalaglawcenter.org./assets/cases/newjersey.html

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, J.M. and W.D. McBride (2009). The transformation of U.S. livestock agriculture: scale, efficiency and risks, Economic Information Bulletin No. 43. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonalds (2010). “Animal Welfare”. Accessed on 10/18/2010 at http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/values_in_action/animal_welfare.html

  • Mench, J.A. (2008). “Farm animal welfare in the U.S.A.: Farming practices, research, education, regulation, and assurance programs”, Applied Animal Science 113: 298-312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mench, J.A., H. James, E.A. Pajor and P.B. Thompson (2008), “The welfare of animals in concentrated feeding operations”. Paper prepared for the National Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. Accessed on 10/18/2010 at: http://www.fao.org/ag/againfo/themes/animal-welfare/aw-awhome/detail/pt/item/11934/icode/en/

  • Mench, J.A., D.A. Sumner and J.T. Rosen-Molina (2011). “Sustainability of egg production in the United States – The policy and market context”. Poultry Science 90:229-240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, New Zealand (2010). International trade statistics. Accessed on 10/19/10 at: http://www.maf.govt.nz/statistics/international-trade/

  • National Pork Producers Council (2011). “Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus”. Accessed on June 5, 2011 at http://www.npcc.org/issues/pqy.htm

  • Norwood, B., J. Lusk and R. Prickett (2007). “Special Report: Animal Welfare”. Feedstuffs pp. 14-16. October 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norwood, F.B. and J.L. Lusk (2009). “The farm animal welfare debate.” Choices 24(3). Available at: http://www.choicesmagazine.org

  • Norwood, B. (2010). Presentation on Animal Welfare at the ADSA-PSA-AMPA-CSAS-WSASAS-ASAS Joint Annual Meeting, July 11-15, Denver, CO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (2008). Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Promar International (2009). “Impacts of banning cage egg production in the United States”. Report prepared for United Egg Producers, Alexandria, VA. August.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rahn, A.P. (2002). “An economic perspective on the United Egg Producers’ Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg Laying Flocks”. Revised version (November 26) of a paper prepared for a meeting of the Midwest Poultry Federation Convention, St. Paul, MN. March 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ritter, M.J., M. Ellis, N.L Berry, S.E. Curtis, L. Anil, E. Berg, M. Benjamin, D. Butler, C. Dewey, B. Driessen, P. DuBois, J.D. Hill, J.N. Marchant-Forde, P. Matzat, J. McGlone, P. Mormede, Y. Moyer, K. Pfalzgraf, J. Salak-Johnson, M. Siemens, J. Sterle, C. Stull, T. Whiting, B. Wolter, S.R. Niekamp and A.K. Johnson (2009). “Transport losses in market weight pigs: I. A review of definitions, incidence and economic impact.” The Professional Animal Scientist 25:414-414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rushden, J. (2003). “Changing concepts of farm animal welfare: bridging the gap between applied and basic research.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science 81:199-214.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spash, C.L. (1997). “Ethics and environmental attitudes with implications for economic valuation.” Journal of Environmental Management 50: 403-416.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Springsteen, E.R. (2009). “A proposal to regulate farm animal confinement in the United States and an overview of current and proposed laws on the subject”. Drake Journal of Agricultural Law 14: 437-467.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, D., W.A. Matthews, J.A. Mench, and J.T. Rosen-Molina (2010). “The economics of regulations on hen housing in California”. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 42(3): 429-438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sumner, D.A., H. Gow, W. Matthews, B. Norwood, J.T. Rosen-Molina and W. Thurman (2011). “Economic and market issues on the sustainability of egg production in the United States: Analysis of alternative production systems.” Poultry Science 90:241-250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, P.B. (2005). “Animal agriculture and the welfare of animals”. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 226: 1325-1327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonsor, G.T., C. Wolf and N. Olynk (2009a). “Consumer voting and demand behavior regarding swine gestation crates”. Food Policy 34: 492-498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tonsor, G.T., N. Olynk and C. Wolf (2009b). “Consumer preferences for animal welfare attributes: the case of gestation crates”. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 41: 713-730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tonsor, G.T. and C.A. Wolf (2010). “Drivers of resident support for animal care oriented ballot initiatives”. Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 42: 419-428.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tonsor, G.T. and C.A. Wolf (2011). “On mandatory labeling of animal welfare attributes”. Food Policy 36: 430-437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • United Egg Producers (2011). “The egg industry and animal welfare.” Accessed on June 5, 2011 at http://www.unitedegg.com.

  • U.S. Department of Agriculture, Packers and Stockyards Administration (2008). Annual report, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vandegraaff, R. (2009). “A co-regulatory approach to farm animal welfare in Australia”, Animal Heath and Welfare Systems, West Lakes, South Australia. Accessed on 10/18/2010 at http://www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf…/12-robin-vandergraaff.pdf

  • Van Horne, P.L.M. and T.J. Achterbosch (2008). “Animal welfare in poultry production systems: impact of EU standards on world trade”, World’s Poultry Science Journal 64: 40-52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Veissier, I., A. Butterworth, B. Bock, and E. Roe (2008). “European approaches to ensure good animal welfare”, Applied Animal Behaviour Science 113: 279-297.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agricultural Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    David Blandford

Authors
  1. David Blandford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Blandford .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Farm Foundation, Darien Club Drive 1709, Darien, 60561, Connecticut, USA

    Walter J. Armbruster

  2. Texas A&M University, Rose Circle 1011, College Station, 77840, Texas, USA

    Ronald D. Knutson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Blandford, D. (2013). Humane Treatment of Farm Animals. In: Armbruster, W., Knutson, R. (eds) US Programs Affecting Food and Agricultural Marketing. Natural Resource Management and Policy, vol 38. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4930-0_18

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4930-0_18

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-4929-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-4930-0

  • eBook Packages: Business and EconomicsEconomics and Finance (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation