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Better Pork
October 2016
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into the Star Meat scheme, provided
the respective countries can prove
that they are producing hogs under
the same regulations.
Market research
The Danes seem confident that
consumers are positive about swine
welfare schemes. Søren Andersen,
communications consultant with the
Agriculture and Food Council, says
research indicates increased willing-
ness amongst consumers to pay more
for higher welfare standards. Cer-
tainly, a TNS Gallup poll this April
found that 46 per cent of respondents
in Denmark were overwhelmingly
positive about the introduction of a
national welfare-based label.
And the Danes seem to be will-
ing to put their money where their
mouth is when paying for welfare-
based pork products. In another
survey, the European Commission’s
so-called “Eurobarometer” on at-
titudes of Europeans towards animal
welfare (December 2015), 31 per cent
of the Danish respondents reported
they’d pay up to 10 per cent more
for welfare-based pork. Ten per cent
of the Danes questioned indicated
that they would even hand over 20
per cent extra at the till. The average
for European consumers as a whole
showed only five per cent would be
willing to pay this sort of premium.
Were there Danes unwilling to pay
anything extra at all in this respect?
The survey showed that 15 per cent
of Danes were less than willing to pay
even a cent for extra hog welfare. But
the respective European figure was 35
per cent! So the Stjernekød planners
could be right in the feeling that their
consumers are ready and willing to
pay more for welfare.
Graduated labelling concept spreads
Dutch researchers just a few hun-
dred kilometres farther south also
PORK
LABELLING
Danish Crown
The Stjernekød launch is pencilled in for
summer 2017.