Cow Welfare in the U.S. Dairy Industry: Willingness-to-Pay and Willingness-to-Supply

By: Wolf, Christopher A.; Tonsor, Glynn T.
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Wolf, Christopher A.; Tonsor, Glynn T., Cow Welfare in the U.S. Dairy Industry: Willingness-to-Pay and Willingness-to-Supply, Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Volume 42, Issue 2, May 2017, Pages 164-179

Consumers are increasingly scrutinizing the animal welfare implications of modern agricultural production processes. We used surveys to examine both the U.S. public willingness-to-pay for and dairy farmer willingness-to-supply or change on-farm production practices related to dairy cattle welfare and find that the public has a positive WTP for all practices examined, while most dairy farms already supply those practices (with the exceptions of employee training programs, third-party certification, and outdoor access). Implications for practice verification and premiums are discussed in the context of dairy markets and policy.