Animal welfare is trendy, but Utrecht residents are not yet showing this in their purchasing behavior

How we should treat animals is sometimes a sensitive point of discussion in the Netherlands. The number of people who believe that animals should be treated better is growing and that idea was recently translated into a new proposal in the House of Representatives. How is progressive Utrecht actually doing in the organic meat sector, now that attention to animal welfare is on the rise again?

‘It is no longer permitted to hurt an animal or cause injury to an animal, or to harm the health or welfare of the animal with the aim of housing the animal in a certain way.’ This is the proposal from Member of Parliament Leonie Vestering of the Party for the Animals. The amendment had little viability, but that does not mean that attention to animal welfare will disappear. People are increasingly giving up a piece of meat, or consumers are looking for alternatives. A change can also be seen in Utrecht. Although this takes some fits and starts, say experts.

Stagnation

This is what organic butcher Gerrit Takke says, among others, who has had a shop on Biltstraat for over thirty years. “Whenever there is a scandal involving animals, we see a boost in sales of organic meat. That just decreases every time. I don’t really notice much of the recent attention, although it sometimes takes a while before people actually find their way to the store.” When looking at the figures for organic meat production, what Gerrit says seems to be correct. In 2015 there was significant growth in the market, and in the years that followed these figures stagnated. The reason for this has never been established and therefore remains a matter of speculation. For example, the corona crisis and rising grocery prices could potentially influence consumer behavior.

Gerrit himself also has a theory about this: “Consumers can send a signal themselves by buying organic meat en masse, but in practice this often proves difficult. The ‘power’ lies with larger institutions such as the government and supermarkets. Only if they stimulate the sale of organic meat, for example through lower VAT, will consumers actively change their behavior on a larger scale.” At the moment, the share of organic meat compared to the entire meat sector fluctuates at a number of percentages. In supermarkets, the share of organic products is about three percent. Little, but not surprising according to Gerrit: “The step is still too big for people to take at the moment.”

Conscience

The purchase of organic meat seems to be making little progress at the moment, but the eating habits of consumers have certainly changed. In recent years, less and less meat has been eaten, so little that the figure is at its lowest since 2005. The welfare of animals and which animals we care about is also receiving a broader standard. For example, the role of the wolf is becoming increasingly prominent, and even insects are included in the welfare picture. Age, place of residence or level of education make little difference between whether or not you support improved animal welfare.

The only problem: the renewed attention to more conscious choices does not seem to have yet found its way into meat alternatives. This is not only the case with the sale of meat at the butcher, but also puts a stop to the industry behind it. The number of organic farms appears to have increased slightly in recent years by a few percentage points, but explosive growth has not occurred. The government’s intended goal – from 4 to 15 percent organic agriculture in 2030 – therefore seems far away. In fact, according to critics, the wind is being taken out of the sails at the moment.

Stalemate

This is what Anne and Rick van Rijn from organic farm De Geertjeshoeve, located on the outskirts of Vleuten, say. According to them, farmers have been in a difficult situation for a long time, and the government is doing too little to help farmers out. “It was said to scale up to increase the viability of your company. Now things have to change again, but this time in the other direction. You just don’t know where you stand and that makes the step to organic big.” Anne and Rick manage to keep things running on their farm, but according to them, this is also because they have a restaurant and shop from which they derive income. And without that? “It remains to be seen what everything will look like in the sector in the future. We are afraid of it.”

But according to the Van Rijn couple, it is not just the government’s turn. Just like butcher Gerrit, they also believe that consumers should put their money where their mouth is: “Organic farming costs a lot more money than the usual (term for regular farming, ed.) way. It is sometimes difficult to keep your head above water when there is interest in more conscious meat, but people do not actually take the step.” According to Anne and Rick, that is exactly where things go wrong within the organic meat sector, both nationally and locally: “It is a kind of vicious circle between farmers, authorities and consumers. If one of those three doesn’t work, things become a lot more difficult. You are, as it were, in a stalemate.”

Finances

By the way, it is not all luck and woe in the organic animal sector. Yes, the Netherlands is at the bottom in Europe with its bio-industry. But there are also positive developments within the organic sector. For example, sales of organic products in Europe have doubled in ten years. The government recognizes some of the problems experienced by the organic industry and has conducted research into promising target groups for the organic market. It appears that young, highly educated people in particular are the most receptive to purchasing more organic products. There may appear to be some opportunities for Utrecht – the municipality with the highest number of highly educated people in the Netherlands.

It remains to be seen to what extent characteristics such as education level can actually make a difference in purchasing behavior. Ultimately, one of the most important factors is the financial side behind the biological philosophy. That’s where it seems to get difficult. Organic meat would have to become cheaper to become more popular. But it cannot be cheaper until the factory farming industry is definitely more popular. At the end of the day, animal welfare, the political course taken or what people around you find important seem to make little difference to the choices consumers make. Ultimately, it still comes down to the price of the piece of meat that ends up on the plate.