November 2024 Newsletter
International Poultry Welfare Alliance (IPWA)
A global multistakeholder initiative focused on poultry welfare.
Executive Insight with Ryan Bennett
Asia and Animal Welfare- Why changes in socioeconomic status, education levels, and urbanization rates will lead to increased emphasis on animal welfare.
You cannot speak about the future of poultry production globally without discussing Asia. Asian countries have had the most GDP growth of any other region over the past 40 years. In turn, people in Asia have started eating differently than they have in the past by consuming more animal protein - but have they started changing their opinions on how their food is raised?
Asia is by far the largest consumer of animal protein and is projected by the FAO to remain so into the future. Looking at the projections, Asia will continue to grow animal protein demand. The percentage growth may not be as rapid as we see in Figure 2 leading up to 2020. However, the FAO still projects 18% growth in Asia, with those percentages working across a much larger aggregate, with the population of Asia encompassing around 60% of the global population. According to the FAO, Asia has increased its poultry production by 443% since 1990 (44,496,957 metric tons) while increasing imports by 661% since 1990 (6,750,494 metric tons) to meet this rising demand while major exporters around the world have also grown to meet the increased demand from the region.
How will this affect perceptions towards animal welfare and sustainability in the region and, in turn, those producing products for their consumers (domestic Asian producers and foreign exporters)?
Asia is very diverse, with characteristics that differ from those of the Americas and Europe. Their animal welfare journey will be unique to them and will have unique challenges within their countries, just as you have seen differences in how countries in Europe and the Americas have tackled the topic. However, there are some overarching principles and development trends that I think it would be wise for producers with customers in Asia to consider.
A 2022 study comparing attitudes toward animal welfare around the world found that attitudes varied greatly amongst countries surveyed in Asia (1). The study found that while understanding of welfare was generally lower in Africa and Asia, most people in all surveys cared about animal welfare and that chickens and fish experience pain. It also showed that some Asian countries ranked quite highly when surveyed about attitudes toward animal welfare.
It will be interesting to monitor how these attitudes on animal welfare will change over time as more Asian consumers become urbanized, highly educated, and likely to be in the middle class.
Education levels tend to directly correlate with attitudes towards animal welfare (2). Higher levels of education often correlate with greater awareness and empathy towards animal welfare. Educated individuals are more likely to understand the importance of treating animals humanely and the ethical considerations involved. There has been a substantial increase in primary and secondary school enrollment rates across many Asian countries. For example, East Asia saw a 9% increase in pre-primary enrollment between 2015 and 2019 (3). More students are pursuing higher education, driven by the growing demand for skilled labor.
At the same time, socioeconomic factors correlate with more companion animals, directly correlating with increased awareness of animal welfare issues. Societies where animals are viewed as companions tend to have a greater emphasis on welfare. People with higher socioeconomic status are more politically engaged and, therefore, more likely to advocate for changes to welfare legislation or enforcement (4). The Asia-Pacific pet products market generated $7.66 billion in revenue in 2022 and is expected to reach $11.64 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2023 to 2030 (5).
We also know that as people move further away from agriculture, their views of normal farming practices change. Asia is urbanizing rapidly, and this shift from the countryside to more urban areas will undoubtedly shift the opinions of younger generations toward normal farming practices (6).
In conclusion, the views on animal welfare are lower in Asia than in other regions. However, those producing poultry and eggs should ignore the changing demographics and the effects they will have on consumers' attitudes toward poultry and egg production at their own peril. While we do not know precisely how things will develop with the multitude of cultures and governments across the region, we do know that things will change, and they will likely change to be more impactful in the largest-growing poultry production/importing region in the world.
Sources:
IPWA took flight at EuroTier!
From the standing-room-only presentation by Dr. Katy Tarrant, Chair of the Education & Training Committee and Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, to the Icebreaker that went from the event to the interactive booth.?
Our Icebreakers continue to create collaboration and gather feedback to support future research and innovation. We were honored to have the following presenters at this Icebreaker:
Mr. J?rg Hurlin: Technologies for more animal welfare: in-ovo sexing, vaccination, and hatching egg sanitation?
Dr. Julia Gickel Influencing factors on the dead-on-arrival (DOA) rate of?fattening poultry transports in Germany - An evaluation of practical data?
Mr. Tim Burnside: Animal Welfare During Transport?
Our interactive booth brought everyone together and had steady traffic during the show, even on the last day. Thank you to our members who helped staff the booth!?
IPWA Vice Chair Dr. Tarrant visited as many members as possible while attending. Thank you to all our members who helped support us at EuroTier!?
领英推荐
Register Today for the?IPWA Annual Meeting 2025 in Bangkok Thailand
Annual Meeting Events will take place at the hotel Hyatt Regency Bangkok Sukhumvit, 1 Sukhumvit Rd, Khlong Toei Nuea, Bangkok, Watthana, 10110, Thailand
March 11, 2024 IPWA Annual Meeting Register Here
Looking for Something? Check out the Members Only Resources Section
Have a great resource to add? Submit it Today!
Participants must?pre-enroll?for one COOP training module to participate however, it does not need to be completed prior to the start of the COOP XR Workshop.
Participants will need a personal device to access QR codes (either a smartphone or tablet that can connect to the internet).
Register for a module here.
Module Cost Industry?(Non?IPWA Member)- $125?Industry
IPWA Member-?$80? Academic/ Non-Profit- $50? Student- $25?
Workshop Agenda?
8:00-8:15 Registration and Introduction and Workshop Overview
8:15-8:40 Rotational Supply Chain Activity
8:40-8:50 Concluding Group Reflection and Medallions
8:50-9:15 Preparatory XR Experience Presentation
9:15-9:45 Interactive XR Experience
9:55-10:00 Wrap Up
Participants will get continuing education credit certified by PAACCO at the end of the event.?There is no cost for this event besides enrolling in one of the education modules as referenced above.?If you are enrolling one or more people for an organization, please reach out to?[email protected]?for discounted rates.
NIAA Lameness Across Species
Tuesday Jan. 28 9-12?pm
Icebreaker Event with IPWA Research & Innovation Committee