http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/3784 2026-08-29T16:40:09Z 2026-08-29T16:40:09Z Mata, Fernando Marques, Maria Rosário http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/5015 2026-07-14T10:38:00Z 2026-03-16T00:00:00Z

Title: Animal welfare washing in agriculture supply chains: regulatory gaps, trade incentives, and ethical risks Authors: Mata, Fernando; Marques, Maria Rosário Abstract: Animal welfare has become an increasingly prominent attribute in global food markets, embedded within sustainability narratives, quality claims, and ethical branding strategies. However, the proliferation of animal welfare claims has not always been matched by equivalent improvements in on-farm welfare outcomes. This paper conceptualises animal welfare washing (AWW) as a systemic phenomenon in animal-based supply chains, whereby welfare narratives, standards, and certifications create the appearance of ethical production without delivering measurable improvements in animal welfare. Drawing on the interdisciplinary literature from animal welfare science, sustainability studies, trade governance, and food policy, this conceptual essay examines how AWW emerges from the interaction of industrial farming systems, fragmented public and private regulations, trade incentives, and information asymmetries. The analysis shows that AWW undermines ethical commitments to animals, regulatory credibility, and food quality governance. Welfare claims frequently operate as credence-based quality signals, despite weak links to verifiable welfare outcomes. Together, these conditions enable symbolic compliance and regulatory arbitrage across global value chains. As a result, genuinely higher-welfare producers face distorted competition, while consumers encounter diminishing trust in sustainability labels. It is argued that addressing AWW requires a shift toward outcome-based measurable welfare standards, stronger enforcement, improved integration with food quality regulation, and trade-compatible governance frameworks that reward performance rather than symbolic claims. By situating AWW within broader sustainability and trade dynamics, this paper advances debates on ethical food governance.

2026-03-16T00:00:00Z Mata, Fernando Paixão, Gustavo http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/5014 2026-07-14T10:28:08Z 2026-02-13T00:00:00Z

Title: Beyond the ban: why the UK and EU’s “End of Cage Age” reforms risk exporting poor animal welfare Authors: Mata, Fernando; Paixão, Gustavo Abstract: Recent and forthcoming bans on confinement systems for farmed animals highlight the growing societal and policy emphasis on improving welfare. In the United Kingdom, the proposed prohibition of enriched cages for laying hens represents a major step beyond existing European Union standards, reflecting both scientific evidence and public concern over the limitations of cage-based systems. While such reforms are indicative of farmed animal welfare gains domestically, experience from the EU ban on conventional cages indicates a critical policy gap: the absence of mechanisms to retire and decommission obsolete infrastructure allows housing systems to be resold or exported, potentially perpetuating welfare issues elsewhere. Similar patterns have emerged in pork production, where gestation and farrowing crates have been inconsistently phased out in different regions of the world, illustrating the broader consequences of neglecting infrastructure lifecycle management. This perspective is based on welfare reforms incorporating decommissioning of equipment to align ethical intent with material outcomes. Decommissioning approaches lead to incentivising or mandating the permanent removal of banned pork production physical infrastructure, mitigating economic risks for producers, and reducing cross-border exacerbation of welfare issues. Coordinated implementation across national, regional, and global locals is essential to maximise the pig welfare effectiveness of reforms. By integrating decommissioning provisions, policymakers can ensure that animal welfare improvements are substantive, credible, and globally effective.

2026-02-13T00:00:00Z Pereira-Pinto, Ricardo Reis, Núria Barbosa, Carla Pinheiro, Rita Vaz-Velho, Manuela http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/4997 2026-06-11T18:37:16Z 2022-08-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Physicochemical analysis of ham from entire male pigs raised with different feeding and housing conditions Authors: Pereira-Pinto, Ricardo; Reis, Núria; Barbosa, Carla; Pinheiro, Rita; Vaz-Velho, Manuela Abstract: This study aims to investigate the effect of feeding and housing conditions on physicochemical characteristics of cooked hams produced with meat from entire male pigs. Meat from boars raised under different conditions of housing and feeding (two housing conditions and three levels of inulin added to feed) was used to produce six batches of cooked hams following a standard manufacturing process. Texture profile analysis (hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness), color analysis, pH, and moisture content were determined. ANOVA and principal component analysis were carried out. Results showed that 6% of inulin added to feed led to significantly lower values of hardness and chewiness. Improved housing conditions hams presented lower pH values. Except for a* parameter (red color), no significant interactions between the two categorical variables, housing and diet, were found. Housing conditions and inulin feeding may have affected meat characteristics; therefore, adjustments of current cooked ham processing parameters might be necessary. Practical applications: This study is part of a broader project where the main objective is to determine whether the housing conditions and the addition of inulin to pig feed lead to the reduction or elimination of the boar taint. Also, there is the need to determine if the meat characteristics are appealing to the consumers and viable for the industry, since the characteristics of entire male's meat may pose new challenges in meat processing. In line with this, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of different feeding and housing conditions of boars in the physicochemical characteristics of cooked ham, in order to determine the viability of the use of entire male's meat for cooked ham production.

2022-08-01T00:00:00Z Alonso-Esteban, José Ignacio Carocho, Marcio Barros, Diana Vaz-Velho, Manuela Heleno, Sandrina Barros, Lillian http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11960/4996 2026-06-11T18:21:53Z 2022-09-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Chemical composition and industrial applications of Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) bark and other non‑wood parts Authors: Alonso-Esteban, José Ignacio; Carocho, Marcio; Barros, Diana; Vaz-Velho, Manuela; Heleno, Sandrina; Barros, Lillian Abstract: Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) is native to the western Mediterranean basin and has an economic importance in southwestern Europe. This importance is based on the use of its wood in the construction, furniture, and paper industries. Bark and other parts of the plant, such as resin, needles, and cones, are by-products with potential industrial application. These parts of the tree stand out because of the presence of secondary metabolites, the main ones being phenolic compounds and terpenes. Bark contains both, while other parts of the plant are mainly composed of terpenes. All these compounds have biological potential, mainly antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The bark has the widest range of industrial applications, and it can be used to obtain dietary supplements and functional foods, adsorbents, and bio-based resins and foams. Resin has a prominent industrial role too, especially in chemical industry. In this manuscript, an overview of these applications is described, opening an innovation opportunity for enterprises to use the by-products and residue of maritime pine. Still, albeit the described application, maritime pine has further applications that are right now being studied under the premises of circular economy.

2022-09-01T00:00:00Z