The livestock sector and its stakeholders in the search to meet the animal welfare requirements of society

Abstract

Multi-stakeholder support is crucial to chain parties delivering against the (latent) demand and consumption of animal-friendly products. Actors take an ambiguous position in dealing with the issue of animal welfare improvements, partly because such improvements deviate from the dominant business model aimed at efficient delivery to export markets. This makes multi-stakeholder dialogues an important factor in channelling the issue of animal welfare and, ultimately, in migrating towards more animal-friendly production systems. This paper studies the dynamics in the chain-including lock-ins and barriers-through which the Dutch livestock sector searches for a new equilibrium with society; in this case, through the development of an in-between segment. This analysis improves our understanding of how transitions work on sustainability issues in the agriculture sector. Developing an in-between segment for animal friendly production requires many small steps and stakeholder interactions and the creation of a delicate balance between reactive and (pro)active efforts.