A meta-analysis of consumer willingness to pay for farm animal welfare

Abstract

Farm animal welfare (FAW) concerns have prompted scientific research, development and standard setting (especially in the EU and USA) having ethical, production, econ-omic, social, cultural and trade implications. We meta-analyse the literature on con-sumer willingness to pay (WTP) for FAW, examining 24 studies reporting 106 estimates of consumer FAW values. Meta-regressions indicate that respondent income and age significantly affect WTP, substantial geographical disparities are unsupported, information provision about farm animal living conditions significantly alters WTP estimates and suggestions that FAW be legislatively required significantly reduce WTP. We conclude that the public good aspect of FAW merits further investigation