One Welfare in Europe: Cross-country comparison of citizens’ and supply chain actors’ perceptions

Abstract

Animal welfare is closely linked to human health and the environment. Over the last decade, One Welfare (OW) has emerged to address these connections. However, the academic research on OW, which integrates human well-being, animal welfare, and the environment, is still in its early stages, with limited insights into how it is perceived by supply chain actors. This study aims to explore how European citizens and other actors perceive the OW construct, particularly in relation to improved farm animal welfare. The data were collected in 2021 in two surveys conducted in nine European countries (Finland, the UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Denmark) targeted at citizens (n = 3,601) and other supply chain actors (n = 222). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test were employed to analyse the perceptions among the countries. The results show that supply chain actors have a more multidimensional understanding of OW and farm animal welfare than citizens. Citizens viewed OW as a two-dimensional construct related to human well-being, farming success and food security, while supply chain actors perceived it as three-dimensional, also including issues related to environmental sustainability. Statistically significant differences were found across certain countries. For example, Italian citizens associated OW primarily with human well-being, while Romanian citizens linked it to farming success. However, both Italian and Romanian supply chain actors perceived food safety and environmental sustainability as most associated with OW. Understanding these perceptions is essential for developing policies that support public health, sustainability, and ethical practices across Europe.