Abstract
In order to examine the attitude of egg consumers about the poultry welfare and their willingness to spend more money to buy eggs produced in accordance with animal welfare principles, 529 consumers were surveyed in three regions of Serbia (Belgrade, region of Sumadija and Western Serbia and South and Eastern Serbia region). Through the survey questionnaire, consumers have stated how important the welfare of laying hens is to them and if they are willing to spend more money on eggs produced acording to principles of animal welfare. The answers of the surveyed consumers were analyzed by gender, age, education, number of children in the family and the environment in which they live. According to the results of the survey, it can be concluded that in Serbia, poultry welfare is moderately important to 28.17% of egg consumers and very important to 50.77% of consumers, while not at all or little to 21.13%, and that there are differences between individual regions. The willingness to pay more for eggs produced according to welfare principles was expressed by 78.53% of consumers, on average for all three regions. The analysis of data within the category of consumers for which the poultry welfare is very important, revealed that 54.15% are women and 44.02% are men, and that the welfare is more important for consumers with higher education (52.66%) compared to middle school (47.67%), also, for consumers in the 35-55 age group (55.60%) compared to younger and older respondents and those with three or more children in the family (52.94%) compared to families with fewer children. The survey results indicate that consumers in Serbia attribute more importance to the welfare of laying hens, and show their willingness to pay more for eggs produced in compliance with the welfare principles. In the coming period, the education focusing on the increase of consumer awareness of the importance of the welfare of laying hens and the connection with the quality of the product will be necessary.
Highlights
In the European Union, the welfare of laying hens is defined by EU Directive 1999/74/EC, which bans the rearing of laying hens in conventional cages in all EU countries since 2012
In order to examine the attitude of egg consumers about the poultry welfare and their willingness to spend more money to buy eggs produced in accordance with animal welfare principles, 529 consumers were surveyed in three regions of Serbia (Belgrade, region of Šumadija and Western Serbia and South and Eastern Serbia region)
Survey results indicate that for 50.77 % of consumers of table eggs in Serbia, the poultry welfare is important/very important, there are some differences between regions, i.e., in the Belgrade region, the majority of respondents found the welfare of hens to be not important/slightly important (24.11 %) and the least number of respondents who find it important and very important (45.85 %)
Summary
In the European Union, the welfare of laying hens is defined by EU Directive 1999/74/EC, which bans the rearing of laying hens in conventional cages in all EU countries since 2012. Implementation of this legislation has varied across countries, depending on the influence of manufacturers, retailers, consumers, law-makers, the media, and public opinion in general (Appleby, 2003). Research indicates that European consumers generally have similar views on the welfare of farm animals and agree that welfare should be raised to a higher level, there are differences between countries due to varying degrees of knowledge about farm animals and different willingness to pay more money for the purchase of products obtained according to welfare principles (European Commission, 2005; Martelli, 2009). Some authors point to the need for better information availability and education of consumers about the importance of the welfare of farm animals (Autio et al, 2017), which would increase awareness of the importance of food production according to the animal welfare principles and the impact of animal welfare on the quality of animal products
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
