Animal welfare and society concerns finding the missing link

•How younger consumers perceive the meat industry•Simple methods to improve welfare at the slaughter plant•Summary of major welfare issues on the farm for livestock and poultry and how to assess them•Table of welfare problems that can easily be monitored at the slaughter plant•Introduces the concept of biological system overload

Young adults in developed countries are distanced from agriculture and the meat industry needs to do a better job of communicating with them. A major welfare concern is slaughter without stunning. Other concerns, such as poor stunning or high levels of bruising, can be easily corrected by management who is committed to maintaining high standards. Another concern is biological system overload, occurring when animals are bred for more productivity. Researchers and industry need to determine optimum production levels instead of maximums. Retailers are major drivers of animal welfare standards enforcement and they respond to pressure from both activists and consumers.