Ethical principles and social perspectives of welfare orientated animal husbandry

The animal agriculture and animal husbandry are the focus of public and political debate. The triggers are a number of food scandals like proven dioxin in eggs or unmarked horsemeat in products on the one hand and on the other hand dubious moral treatment of animals in livestock farming. In the first part of this study different animal ethical theories are explained and discussed. The aim is to find arguments to justify or refuse the use of animals for human purposes particularly in food production. From an ethical point of view the most problematic condition in animal husbandry is, that farm animals have to suffer in modern livestock farming systems. Based on this ethical discussion a quantitative study will be presented in the second part. The study deals with attitudes to livestock farming of students from different disciplines. The survey was taken in 2013. It tries to evaluate the personal acceptance and-perceived validity of preference and motivation tests to improve animal husbandry conditions in livestock farming. After the students had indicated their willingness to pay for eggs, milk and minced meat, they were asked how much more they would pay for these products from farms where the conditions were improved by preference and motivation tests. The disciplines organic agricultural sciences, biology, landscape ecology and philosophy are less satisfied with the current conditions of animal husbandry in conventional livestock farming than the disciplines agricultural sciences, business administration, economics and law. However, the acceptance and the validity of preference and motivation tests are equally positive in all examined fields of study. The willingness to pay for 1 liter milk was 0,99 €, for 6 eggs 1,93 € and 2,70 € for 250g minced meat. Various values were assumed behind the different acceptance of livestock farming. These values were tested with Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-21). The relationship between values and attitudes to livestock farming is discussed in the third article. Using the PVQ-21 the analyzed disciplines could be combined in three groups with similar values. The first group is formed by students of environmental sciences, landscape ecology, biology and philosophy. Students of these subjects entitle animals a higher consciousness and are more open to changes in livestock farming. In the second group there are agronomists, students of business administration, economics and law. These disciplines are significantly more tolerant with the current livestock conditions. The third group is the discipline psychology. It positions itself in the value circle between the first two group