Monetarisation of ethical values in animal farming

Farm animal welfare (FAW) is crucial not only for the animals themselves, but also for farmers, many consumers and society. Views differ, however, regarding how to define FAW, what is an ethically acceptable level, which further values it is linked to, as well as regarding methods and goals of implementation of welfare standards. In this study, we reflect upon challenges in transforming ethical values (here FAW) into monetary terms. Our point of departure is a presentation of results from small focus groups we conducted with farmers, retailers, policy influencers and policy makers on FAW and on three hypothetical suggestions of legislation to improve cattle welfare. Stakeholders reveal a wide variety of views on FAW and suggested improvements. This leads us to a discussion on values related to FAW, such as farmer's autonomy in relation to regulation, biodiversity and use of antibiotics, as well as a need to consider the consumer- citizen gap. We argue that even if an intrinsic value of the animals cannot be 'priced', FAW is related to other values more easily given a price, and that a common currency and a control system, facilitates ensuring societal transparency and trust.