Document type : Article published on theNovethic website
Author : Marina Fabre
Preview: Faced by pressure from both consumers and dedicated groups, businesses are seeking to improve the conditions under which animals are reared, transported and slaughtered. Research on pig castration and dairy and beef grazing has involved farmers, distributors and researchers, seeking to find a balance between animal welfare and economic viability. This is a long-term project, as consumers, who are increasingly sensitive to issues of animal abuse, remain unwilling to pay more. […]
More than half of all laying hens (53%) are now raised outdoors. The industry is two years ahead on the first stage of the mandatory programme which will ultimately achieve the target of 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. But the investments have been substantial, and have sometimes been made too late. One example can be seen in the poor results of the Mâtines group, France's top producer of caged hens, which has been accumulating losses for the past six years because it failed to anticipate the change of direction. "This is a golden opportunity for brands to enhance their profiles, but it comes at a cost," David Garbous points out.
This is precisely what LIT Ouest (Laboratoire d'innovation territorial Ouest territoires d'élevage) is working on. The group is a partnership between the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRAE), farmers, major distributors, NGOs and start-ups. Consumers aren't prepared to pay ten times more for a slice of ham," says Hervé Guyomard, research director at INRAE. LIT Ouest makes it possible to set up research projects to evaluate costs and impacts on animal welfare. "We are currently working on the castration of pigs, improvement of transport conditions, stunning techniques prior to slaughter and even grazing," he explains. "The challenge is to work out ways to improve the technology while remaining economically viable. It's a long-term challenge," admits Hervé Guyomard.
