Stakeholder Perceptions of Animal Welfare as a Component of Sustainable Beef Programs in the United States—A Pilot Study.

Simple Summary: Cattle welfare is a critical component of sustainable beef production systems. The objective of this pilot study was to investigate how a specific group of beef industry stakeholders perceived and integrated animal welfare into sustainability programs using an online survey. Individuals represented owners, managers, and chief sustainability officers from a variety of stakeholder groups. Respondents recognized cattle welfare as a critical component to ensuring the overall sustainability of a production system and integrated animal welfare outcomes within their sustainability programs. It was evident that respondents felt animal care and providing basic needs to animals was a critical component of cattle welfare. The motivation of respondents to include cattle welfare in sustainability programming was related to cattle health and performance as well as consumer perception. Additionally, respondents often mentioned following best management practices and often referenced industry guidelines, assessment tools, and sometimes regulations where relevant. Respondents shared that the three pillars of sustainability (e.g., environmental, social, and economic) were interconnected, highlighting the need for balanced approaches to integrating sustainable animal welfare solutions in beef systems. This study aimed to investigate how stakeholders in the United States beef industry incorporate animal welfare into their sustainability programs. A survey was administered online to the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef membership. Twenty-seven surveys were analyzed. Most respondents (n = 26, 96%) had sustainability programs that incorporated animal welfare. Most respondents believed that welfare positively impacted environmental (n = 25/26, 96%), economic (n = 25/26, 96%), and social (n = 26/26, 100%) sustainability. The thematic analysis of five free response questions identified ten themes: Animal Care, Regulations and Guidelines, Responsibility, Consumers and Stakeholders, Performance and Efficiency, Financial Impact, Connectedness, Critical Component, Animal-based Outcomes, and Employees. When asked to define welfare, the most common themes were Animal Care and Regulations and Guidelines. When asked why welfare was a component of their sustainability program, the top factors from a provided list were: cattle health (n = 20, 74%), cattle performance (n = 12, 44%), and consumer perceptions (n = 12, 44%). Findings suggest a widespread recognition of animal welfare's importance within sustainable beef production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]