Viewpoint: Regulating meat consumption to improve health, the environment and animal welfare

Abstract

Meat consumption has increased significantly in the last 50 years. This trend raises various health and environmental issues, as well as moral concerns regarding farm animal welfare. In this paper, we discuss the regulation of meat consumption in developed countries. Specifically, we discuss possible justifications for this regulation in terms of environmental, health and animal welfare considerations, as well as the effect of fiscal, informational and behavioral regulatory instruments. Finally, we present a list of challenges that policy makers and food scholars may need to confront in the future.

The Impact of Veganism/Vegetarianism on Animal Welfare Policy

“…(Bradley & MacRae, 2011). Some measures used by animal scientists to assess animal welfare include rate of injuries, level of stress hormones, and transport time (Bonnet et al, 2020;Broom, 2014). Given the broadness of the term "animal welfare", Canada does not have one consistent and overarching animal welfare policy.…”

“…However, not all consumers are usually informed about these production practices, thus, it is difficult to measure the likelihood of consumers to support an animal welfare policy. Bonnet et al (2020) states that informational policy instruments can be used to raise awareness regarding the characteristics of animal products. Informational instruments attempt to balance the information asymmetry that the market is experiencing, thus, driving consumers to more animal-welfare friendly products (Bonnet et al, 2020).…”

“…Bonnet et al (2020) states that informational policy instruments can be used to raise awareness regarding the characteristics of animal products. Informational instruments attempt to balance the information asymmetry that the market is experiencing, thus, driving consumers to more animal-welfare friendly products (Bonnet et al, 2020). This where vegans/vegetarians can play a role.…”

“…This indicates that plant-based diets are more appealing to the younger generation, it also alludes to a surge in plant-based diets as generations become older and play more powerful roles in society. On the other hand, meat consumption has also risen in the last 50 years (Bonnet et al, 2020). This is due to industrial farming becoming more popular post World War II.…”

“…This may be attributed to the growth in scientific knowledge about animal emotion and lives, as well as general knowledge on industrial farming and animal farming conditions. Rising veganism and vegetarianism is often associated with the increasing concern for animal welfare in the food industry (Bonnet et al, 2020;Ruby, 2012;The Economist, 2018). This paper assesses the impact of veganism/vegetarianism on animal welfare policy.…”