‘If We Had Known’: Whistleblowers, Animal Welfare Scandals and Agri-food Stakeholders’ Response

Abstract Farm animal welfare (FAW) scandals can impact firm legitimacy and regulatory responses in food supply chains. Yet, limited research explains how governance structures and power asymmetries influence stakeholder responses to such events. This paper provides a qualitative comparative analysis of three major FAW scandals in the dairy sector across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Drawing on stakeholder and normative legitimacy theory, the study develops a conceptual framework linking whistleblower convergence, supply chain governance, and organizational response strategies. The findings show that elite downstream affiliations intensify scandal contagion, while governance structures condition whether actors pursue accommodation or decoupling strategies. Power asymmetries between upstream farms and downstream buyers further shape the distribution of legitimacy risks and corrective costs. By integrating value chain governance with legitimacy theory, the paper provides insights into how agri-food stakeholders respond to ethical crises and the implications this has for improving FAW standards across global supply chains.