Understanding consumers' perceptions towards Iberian pig production and animal welfare.

The Spanish market offers a greater variety of Iberian pork products. The aim of this paper is to determine the perception of consumers of several aspects of Iberian pig production and animal welfare depending on the consumers' characteristics. Consumers from two Spanish regions (n = 403) answered a questionnaire about their beliefs and the importance of pig production, their purchase intentions and their willingness to pay. Consumers were segmented according to their level of knowledge about Iberian pig production. The results of this work indicate that consumers have poor knowledge about Iberian pig production. Even so, consumers show a remarkable preference for Iberian products, especially when the animals are reared freely and in natural conditions, giving great importance to animal welfare. Consumer preferences indicate the importance of emphasizing Iberian traditional pig product characteristics on the label to promote their purchase choices.