Biological functioning, natural living or welfare quality: the understanding of animal welfare from the farmer's point of view.

Conventional livestock farming is currently the center of attention in the media and is discussed critically by the public at large and legislators. To improve animal welfare in intensive livestock production systems, various animal welfare programs have been developed in recent years in Germany, but so far their market success is quite low. The successful implementation of such programs depends, among other things, on the farmers' acceptance. Since their opinion is hardly known, this contribution analyzes the animal welfare understanding of German farmers that operate conventional poultry, beef and dairy cattle as well as pig production businesses. The results are based on a standardized online survey conducted with 428 farmers from all over Germany. The vast majority of the respondents live in regions where livestock farming is of great importance for the agricultural sector. The results show that German farmers are on the right track to gain a holistic understanding of animal welfare corresponding to the current state of research of "animal welfare quality". However, depending on the animal species kept and the survey method used, the animal welfare understanding of the farmers differs considerably. The results of this research have diverse implications for politics, business and the development of new animal welfare programs.