Exploring Consumer Preference towards the On-Farm Slaughtering of Beef in Germany: A Discrete Choice Experiment

  • Current production standards and communication campaigns about animal welfare in relation to beef strongly emphasise the “humane” rearing of cattle. Aspects such as transport and slaughtering conditions are often overlooked in both production standards and communications with consumers. Long transport routes and conventional slaughtering can cause significant stress to animals and have negative impacts on their welfare and on meat quality. On-farm slaughter can address these criticisms. Communicating the value of low-stress slaughtering conditions like on-farm slaughtering may offer significant sales potential for a premium market segment. In this study, we explore consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for beef that is slaughtered on-farm rather than in conventional abattoirs. We conducted an online survey (n = 400) in 2022, with a sample that is representative of the German population with respect to gender, age, income and education. Our survey included a discrete choice experiment for the purchase of minced beef,Current production standards and communication campaigns about animal welfare in relation to beef strongly emphasise the “humane” rearing of cattle. Aspects such as transport and slaughtering conditions are often overlooked in both production standards and communications with consumers. Long transport routes and conventional slaughtering can cause significant stress to animals and have negative impacts on their welfare and on meat quality. On-farm slaughter can address these criticisms. Communicating the value of low-stress slaughtering conditions like on-farm slaughtering may offer significant sales potential for a premium market segment. In this study, we explore consumers’ preferences and willingness to pay for beef that is slaughtered on-farm rather than in conventional abattoirs. We conducted an online survey (n = 400) in 2022, with a sample that is representative of the German population with respect to gender, age, income and education. Our survey included a discrete choice experiment for the purchase of minced beef, incorporating product attributes that influence purchase decisions. These included: price, information on the social, economic and environmental benefits of regional production, different production standards (conventional/organic) and information on on-farm slaughtering. Our findings indicate that consumers derive the highest utility from a low price, followed by information about on-farm slaughtering. Participants indicated a preference for information on high animal welfare over high beef quality. We conclude that highlighting on-farm slaughtering could be a significant benefit in marketing premium beef products.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Josephine Lauterbach, Antonia Johanna BrunsORCiD, Anna Maria HäringORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:eb1-opus-7753
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12183473
ISSN:2304-8158
Parent Title (English):Foods
Publisher:MDPI
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Year of Completion:2023
Date of first Publication:2023/09/18
Publishing Institution:Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde
Release Date:2023/10/18
Tag:consumer preferences; animal welfare; on-farm slaughter; slaughter conditions; premium beef marketing
Issue:12
Article Number:3473
Page Number:15
Institutions / Departments:Fachbereich Landschaftsnutzung und Naturschutz
University Bibliography:University Bibliography
Zweitveröffentlichung
Peer-Review / Referiert
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International
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