Is animal welfare of great importance when purchasing poultry meat? - Results from cross-national focus groups with consumers -

Farm animal husbandry is increasingly criticized by consumers across Europe. This paper provides insights into consumer attitudes and perceptions regarding animal welfare poultry meat in the study countries Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Animal welfare is stated to be an important product characteristic, although it obtains less importance than other product attributes such as quality and price. However, many participants indicated to be willing to pay a higher price for poultry meat produced under improved husbandry conditions. The main motivating factors for buying improved animal welfare poultry meat are the perception of better quality and ethical concerns.