58% of Maltese willing to pay more for animal-friendly produce

A significant majority of Maltese residents are willing to pay more for animal-friendly farming products, a recent Eurobarometer survey on animal welfare practices shows.

The survey held in October inquired whether respondents were open to paying extra for products sourced from animal welfare-friendly farming systems. Only 38% of Maltese responded negatively, while 2% stated that their willingness depended on the price of the products.

The percentage of Maltese unwilling to pay more closely aligns with the average for the entire European Union (37%).

However, compared to eight years ago, there has been a five-point increase in the number of respondents firmly stating that they would not pay more for such products.

Notably, the sharpest decline in willingness to pay extra was observed among those who were willing to pay 5% more of the price. In 2015, 47% were open to this, but the number has now decreased to 33%. On the other hand, the proportion of those willing to pay up to 10% more has increased by 4%, as has the proportion of those willing to pay up to 20% more.

One significant difference between Maltese residents and other Europeans is their perception of the availability of animal welfare-friendly food products in stores and supermarkets.

While only 43% of respondents in all EU member states reported a lack of choice, this percentage rose to 62% in Malta.  The Maltese are also less likely than other EU respondents to look for labels certifying that products are animal friendly. While 28% of all EU respondents do this “most of the time”, only 13% of the Maltese do so.  And while only 19% of all EU respondents never look for these labels, the percentage increases to 41% among the Maltese.

The survey indicates that Maltese residents tend to disapprove of cruel agricultural practices and prioritize higher animal welfare standards. For instance, 61% of Maltese respondents find the practice of killing male baby chicks just after birth to be totally unacceptable, compared to 50% of respondents in all EU member states.

Furthermore, 62% of Maltese respondents, compared to 57% of all Europeans, support a complete ban on fur farming. Additionally, 71% believe that ensuring animals are not kept in individual cages is “very important,” compared to 56% of all EU respondents. 73% of Maltese respondents also consider banning the cutting of certain body parts of animals, such as tails, ears, beaks, testicles, and teeth, to be “very important,” a view shared by 60% of EU respondents.

Interestingly, Maltese residents are less enthusiastic about applying EU’s animal welfare standards to food imports. While 62% of all EU respondents support applying EU rules to imported food, only 46% of Maltese respondents share this view. In contrast, a higher proportion of Maltese respondents (33%) disagree with imposing EU rules on food imports but insist that all food products, regardless of origin, should bear labels informing EU consumers about the welfare rules applied.