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- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Animal welfare efforts and farm economic outcomes: Evidence from Swedish beef production
- 2023
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Ingår i: Agricultural and Resource Economics Review. - 1068-2805. ; 52, s. 498-519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We estimate the relationship between farm animal welfare (FAW) efforts taken by beef farmers and the economic performance of beef farms by using farm accounting data from the Swedish Farm Economic Survey matched with survey data on farm management practices. To this end, we perform a two-step analysis. First, an item response theory (IRT) model estimates the latent FAW effort on farms. FAW effort likely depends on a host of complementary FAW-improving strategies, and the IRT model combines the considered strategies into a unidimensional scale. We take this to represent on-farm FAW effort. Second, we use instrumental variable regressions to estimate the relationship between FAW effort and multiple measures of farm economic performance. We find that higher FAW effort scores have no effect on margins and costs. However, higher FAW effort scores are associated with lower farm sales. Findings suggest that policies (such as targeted label for high FAW) that increase farm revenue as well as incentivize the uptake of FAW-improvement practices may be able to compensate farmers for their FAW effort.
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| 2. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing Animal Welfare and Farm Profitability in Cow-Calf Operations with Stochastic Partial Budgeting
- 2021
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Ingår i: Animals. - : MDPI AG. - 2076-2615. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Simple SummaryThe increased consumer demand for high levels of farm animal welfare (FAW) have prompted debates about the costs of achieving higher FAW. Yet, little is known about the economic consequences of improvements in FAW, especially in cow-calf operations. This study contributes to the literature by investigating the relationship between farm profitability and improved FAW measure in terms of increased space allowance in Swedish cow-calf operations. We found that a 0.5 m(2) increase in space allowance per calf (achieved by a corresponding reduction of herd size) was associated with a 6.9 to 18.7% reduction in farm-level contribution margins in the short term. Our results suggest that FAW improvements can be costly for farms and these costs should be considered while taking policy decisions regarding improvements in FAW standards.The societal demand for good farm animal welfare (FAW) has increased over time. Yet, very little is known about the economic consequences of improvements in FAW in cow-calf operations. This study investigates on-farm economic consequences of improved FAW measures in cow-calf operations. It uses a stochastic partial budgeting approach to examine the relationship between contribution margins and improvements in FAW in terms of increased space allowance for a typical Swedish cow-calf operation, as compared to current practices. In the current practice, a cow should be given at least 5 m(2) and the calf 2.2 m(2). We found that a 0.5 m(2) increase in space allowance per calf (achieved by a corresponding reduction of herd size) was associated with a 6.9 to 18.7% reduction in contribution margins in the short term. Our analysis does not include possible indirect gains like decrease in disease incidence and enhanced non-use or 'soft' values associated with increased FAW. However, our analysis indicates that high FAW standards can be costly and careful cost-benefit analysis should be a part of decision-making processes regarding FAW standards. Our results also suggest a need for government support payments and/or the development of market mechanisms to stimulate farmers to continue producing livestock-based foods with high FAW.
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| 4. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing economic consequences of improved animal welfare in Swedish cattle fattening operations using a stochastic partial budgeting approach
- 2020
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Ingår i: Livestock Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-1413 .- 1878-0490. ; 232
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- There is an increased concern among many stakeholders in society that livestock production systems provide a low-quality life to the animals and therefore advocate improved farm animal welfare (FAW). On the other hand, producers are concerned that stricter welfare regulations would decrease their profits and hence their competitiveness. Given the relevance of the debate surrounding FAW especially in Sweden, and the lack of studies related to the beef sector, this study examined the impact of changes in FAW practices on economic performance of Swedish beef fattening operations. We modelled a herd of 50 cattle of either beef or dairy breed reared for meat production to examine the impact of increased space allowance, including a corresponding decrease in herd size, and increased forage-to-concentrate (FC) ratio. We found that a 1-m(2)/animal increase in space allowance was associated with a decrease of 18.9 and 10.8% in short-run, per animal profits in beef and dairy breeds, respectively. Sensitivity analysis suggested that an increase in weight gain and short-run loss in herd size due to increased space allowance were the most important factors. We estimated that an increase in the FC ratio from 40:60 to 65:35 was associated with a reduction in per animal profits of about 21 to 34% in beef breeds and 17 to 53% in dairy breeds, respectively. Sensitivity analysis indicated that reduced growth due to increased FC ratio was the most important factor. Our results suggest that an increase in space allowance or FC ratio in Swedish beef fattening operations may reduce farm profitability. They also imply that consequences of any policy instrument should be carefully examined to reach the goal of improved FAW along with improved profitability and sustainability for the farmer.
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| 5. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Costs and benefits of good animal welfare - for animals, farmers and society
- 2022
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Society’s demand for good animal welfare has led to discussions about the costs of achieving and maintaining one. This is relevant to Swedish animalbased food production, because producers in Sweden in many respects have stricter requirements than farmers in other countries. They therefore face competition from imported foods produced under less strict animal welfare regulations. At the same time, good animal welfare can have a value in itself and can provide benefits for animals, farmers and society.
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| 6. |
- Ahmed, Haseeb, et al.
(författare)
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Kostnader och vinster med gott djurskydd : för djur, lantbrukare och samhälle
- 2022
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Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Samhällets krav på god djurvälfärd har lett till diskussioner om kostnaderna för att uppnå och upprätthålla en sådan. Detta är relevant för svensk djurbaserad livsmedelsproduktion, eftersom producenter i Sverige i många avseenden har hårdare krav än i andra länder. De möter därför konkurrens från importerade livsmedel som producerats med mindre strikta djurskyddsbestämmelser. Samtidigt kan gott djurskydd ha ett värde i sig och ge fördelar för djur, lantbrukare och samhälle.
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| 10. |
- Ahlman, Therese, et al.
(författare)
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Differences in preferences for breeding traits between organic and conventional dairy producers in Sweden
- 2014
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Ingår i: Livestock Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-1413 .- 1878-0490. ; 162, s. 5-14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Development of sustainable breeding goals for dairy production has to consider the producers' preferences which are likely to differ between production systems. The number of dairy producers with herds certified according to the standards of organic production has increased during the last decades. Traditionally, organic producers use animals selected in conventional production systems but the traits important in organic herds have been suggested to differ due to the different production conditions. The aim of this study was to assess what traits Swedish organic and conventional daily producers consider to be important for the cows in their herds, and the relative importance of traits in the two production systems.An advanced web questionnaire with an underlying selection index was developed. The selection index was not shown to the respondents but it enabled them to weight traits against each other based on the genetic progress obtained. The questionnaire also included questions about what traits the producers intuitively considered important for the cows in their herds and how they ranked 15 given production and functional traits. The questionnaire was answered by 468 Swedish dairy producers of which 122 had a certified organic herd and 346 had a conventional herd.The results of this study show that the trait longevity was ranked first by both organic and conventional Swedish dairy producers. However, the ranking differed to some extent between the production systems for other traits, e.g. mastitis resistance and milk production. Swedish producers with organic herds tended to desire a higher genetic gain in disease resistance, including mastitis and parasite resistance, compared with producers with conventional herds. The results also reflect a somewhat lower interest in milk production level among producers with organic production. However, as the traits most important for Swedish producers with organic herds are already considered in the current Nordic breeding goal they can continue the use of this animal material. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
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