The report considers the information that can and should be transmitted to the interested consumer and others about the animal welfare provenance of the livestock products they purchase and addresses the benefits, effectiveness and practicalities of welfare labelling.
The report makes recommendations to improve the welfare of farmed animals through effective welfare labelling.
Professor Wathes, chairman of FAWC, said: Consumers are increasingly concerned about the characteristics of the products that they purchase and, in the context of farm welfare, increasing numbers are looking to buy those with a stated welfare provenance. Retailers, caterers and other suppliers should therefore provide information that satisfies the purchaser about these characteristics.
He continued: Not all of this report's recommendations are addressed solely to Government: consumers in the widest sense ultimately dictate the standards of welfare to which livestock are raised to provide their food and other products and the recommendations should be of general interest to many.
Professor Wathes concluded: I hope that this report will serve to promote greater adoption of welfare labelling among consumers and, by proxy, food retailers, who are so influential in determining the welfare standards of livestock products by virtue of their very considerable power in the market place.
Source: Defra - 15th June 2006