Civic Consulting is an economic and public policy consultancy founded in 2002 to provide high quality research, analysis and practical, evidence-based policy advice in the areas of consumer policy, financial services, food chain issues, animal health and welfare, public risk management, and good governance. Our clients include the European Commission, the European Parliament, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the German Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), and other national public and non-profit institutions. Our approach to research is distinctive in several respects. We think that wide-ranging subjects demand interdisciplinary approaches. Our team has a multidisciplinary background including economics, law, political science, food and veterinary sciences, and other relevant disciplines. Our academic associates come from universities and research centres at the forefront of their fields of research; our network of specialists in the EU and across the globe provides support in regions where field research is carried out. The strength of our research lies in the use of advanced methodologies and professional expertise, combined with a strong commitment to comprehensive data collection, impartial analysis, and clear presentation of results. We conduct multi-country surveys, in-depth interviews of stakeholders, case studies, and other primary research; we evaluate academic literature, review economic data series, prepare legal analyses, and employ expert panels; we apply economic theory to specific problems and use quantitative statistical and econometric methods while also valuing rigorous qualitative analysis.