Shoppers will not fund animal welfare

Consumers look for bargains on supermarket shelves

Consumer apathy is threatening moves to improve the welfare of farm animals, a group of academics has warned.

They claim that despite surveys showing that the public wants animals to be treated better, they are not prepared to spend more on food produced using welfare-friendly methods.

A new poll on Wednesday for the RSPCA suggests that concern for animal welfare has increased since the foot-and-mouth crisis.

The British public consistently tells surveys that it is prepared to spend slightly more on food produced on farms which give animals a better quality of life.

But leading academics are warning that this is not backed up by actual choices people make at the supermarket checkout.

Bargain shoppers

Shoppers look for bargains rather than labels indicating high welfare standards.

And they say this is discouraging farmers from investing in methods such as free-range egg production or less intensive dairy farming.

Their concerns come as the Rural Affairs Secretary Margaret Beckett is expected to signal greater government encouragement for organic farming.

Though she will not give details of how much more money will be available.