Consumer ethics and animal welfare issues: changing the “human landscape”

Animal welfare has been the subject of interest of the European Union since the 1970s, with the definition of guidelines on the protection of animals during international transport, on the protection of animals on farms and on the protection of animals for slaughter. However, the sensitivity of the Legislator found maximum expression on Animal Welfare Protocol of the Treaty of Amsterdam, where animals are defined as sentient beings, therefore worthy of attention in the policies developed by the European Union and the Member States. Today the interpretation of the concept of animal welfare, as an element that contributes to increasing profitability, is also integrated by respect for the animal’s feelings and, consequently, the related different biological manifestations. The food scandals and diseases, on the one hand, and the emergence of a new consumer ethics, on the other, have also strongly sensitized the European population about the importance of protecting animal welfare. Based on these considerations, a preliminary survey on university students was carried out about their sensitivity in animal welfare. Some differences in age, gender and education are pointed out.