Ahmed Haseeb, Alvåsen Karin, Berg Charlotte, Hansson Helena, Hultgren Jan, Röcklinsberg Helena, Emanuelson Ulf
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), P.O. Box 7054, 750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), 532 23 Skara, Sweden.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Feb 3;11(2):382. doi: 10.3390/ani11020382.
The societal demand for good farm animal welfare (FAW) has increased over time. Yet, very little is known about the economic consequences of improvements in FAW in cow-calf operations. This study investigates on-farm economic consequences of improved FAW measures in cow-calf operations. It uses a stochastic partial budgeting approach to examine the relationship between contribution margins and improvements in FAW in terms of increased space allowance for a typical Swedish cow-calf operation, as compared to current practices. In the current practice, a cow should be given at least 5 m and the calf 2.2 m. We found that a 0.5 m increase in space allowance per calf (achieved by a corresponding reduction of herd size) was associated with a 6.9 to 18.7% reduction in contribution margins in the short term. Our analysis does not include possible indirect gains like decrease in disease incidence and enhanced non-use or 'soft' values associated with increased FAW. However, our analysis indicates that high FAW standards can be costly and careful cost-benefit analysis should be a part of decision-making processes regarding FAW standards. Our results also suggest a need for government support payments and/or the development of market mechanisms to stimulate farmers to continue producing livestock-based foods with high FAW.
随着时间的推移，社会对良好的农场动物福利（FAW）的需求有所增加。然而，对于犊牛养殖中动物福利改善的经济后果，人们了解得非常少。本研究调查了犊牛养殖中改善动物福利措施的农场经济后果。它采用随机部分预算法，以瑞典典型的犊牛养殖为例，与当前做法相比，研究在增加空间配额的情况下，边际贡献与动物福利改善之间的关系。在当前做法中，每头母牛至少应有5米空间，每头犊牛至少应有2.2米空间。我们发现，每头犊牛空间配额增加0.5米（通过相应减少畜群规模实现），短期内边际贡献会降低6.9%至18.7%。我们的分析未包括可能的间接收益，如疾病发病率降低以及与动物福利提高相关的非使用或“软”价值增加。然而，我们的分析表明，高标准的动物福利可能成本高昂，在制定关于动物福利标准的决策过程中，应进行仔细的成本效益分析。我们的结果还表明，需要政府支持性付款和/或发展市场机制，以激励农民继续生产具有高动物福利标准的畜产品。
