A major study involving Queen's University Belfast has found that many consumers across the UK would accept higher weekly food bills if it led to improved welfare standards for farm animals.

Led by the University of Reading, researchers surveyed 3,013 people between September and October 2024 to gauge how much extra they would pay each week for specific welfare improvements across different farmed species.

Two-thirds (66%) of respondents said animal welfare concerns affect what they buy, and most believed products from higher-welfare systems are healthier, taste better and are better for the environment.

Published this month in the journal Food Policy, the findings are already informing UK government policymakers as they weigh up the costs and benefits of potential welfare reforms.

Queen's academics Professor Niamh O'Connell and Professor Gareth Arnott, from the School of Biological Sciences, contributed animal welfare expertise to help assess the value of prospective policy interventions.

Professor Arnott said: "This research presents a useful and timely evidence-based approach to evaluate the animal welfare and economic benefits of implementing policy changes that improve farm animal welfare. A particularly interesting aspect of the research was the discussions and evaluations of the animal welfare scientists and vets involved in assessing the different scenarios." Professor Richard Bennett, who led the research at the University of Reading, said: "Shoppers told us clearly that they want higher welfare for farm animals, and they are ready to pay for it. We know food prices have risen since we carried out this survey in 2024, and the cost of living remains a real pressure on households. Even so, our findings show that support for better welfare has not gone away. This is backed up by the fact the UK government is using our research to assess welfare policies."

Professor Bennett added: "People still want reassurance that the meat, milk and eggs they buy come from animals that have been properly cared for, and they are still willing to pay a bit more for that peace of mind"

To translate preferences into potential price impacts, 13 animal welfare scientists and vets used a tool that scores welfare out of 100, considering factors such as food and water, health, housing and the freedom to express natural behaviours. Shoppers were then asked how much more they would pay each week for regulations that would raise those scores across UK farms.

Based on the scenarios tested, household shoppers indicated they would be willing to pay roughly:

- Eggs: £1.61 per week to move colony cages to free range

- Milk: £1.13 per week to cut dairy cattle lameness

- Pork: £1.61 per week to ban farrowing crates

- Lamb: £0.21 per week to ensure pain relief for lamb castration

- Beef: £0.46 per week to reduce lameness in beef cattle

The researchers say the welfare-scoring tool can be adapted for use in other countries and production systems. The project was led by the University of Reading in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College, Queen's University Belfast, the University of Liverpool, Newcastle University, University College Dublin and Scotland's Rural College.