P.PSH.0804-Identifying public and producer attitudes to sheep and cattle animal welfare to inform education strategies

Summary

Public attitudes to farm animal welfare have the capacity to influence purchasing behaviour as well as community behaviours and thus can affect the sustainability of the livestock industries. Limited research has indicated that views of what is important for livestock welfare often differ widely between the public and producers. The research focus of this project was (1) an examination of public and producer attitudes towards livestock welfare issues in the red meat industry and (2) development and testing of communication and engagement strategies between the public and red meat producers to reduce this polarization in attitudes.

There were marked differences between public and producer attitudes to husbandry practices in the red meat industry. Furthermore, communication strategies using facilitated deliberated forums that provided opportunities for members of the public to engage and discuss welfare issues with producers, either directly or indirectly, resulted in convergence in attitudes between the two groups. There was also a greater understanding of each groups’ perspective on the issues and improved public trust in livestock industry people.

It is recommended that this deliberative forum approach is used to engage producers and the general public in detailed discussions about contentious animal welfare issues in the red meat industry

Objectives

The overall aim of the project was to achieve some degree of convergence in attitudes between the general community and red meat producers, leading to a greater awareness of each group’s concerns, improved trust and an improved social sustainability of the red meat industry.

Key findings

There were marked differences between public and producer respondents in 20 of the 27 variables studied, with producers reporting more positive beliefs in the conditions provided for sheep and beef cattle during sea and land transport, the husbandry practices used in the red meat industry, and red meat attributes regarding human health, environmental impact, animal use and animal welfare.

The public and producers reported similar beliefs about animal rights, prevention of animal cruelty and balancing the welfare of people and animals. In comparison to the public, producers reported more use of conventional media, but reported lower levels of trust in social and internet media and less use of commercial and social and internet media.

The findings from the two deliberative forums provided evidence that the opportunity for producers and general public to meet and participate in a facilitated discussion led to a greater understanding of each group's perspective on the issues, improved trust and some degree of convergence in attitudes between the two groups.

Benefits to industry

Social licence to farm is largely built on trust of farming practices within the community, and the current research demonstrates that there are marked differences in the attitudes, knowledge and trust amongst both producers and the general public which could impact negatively on the red meat industry.
Creating opportunities for members of the general public and red meat producers to interact resulted in increased awareness of each group’s concerns, and improved trust. In other words, there was evidence of reduced polarisation between the two groups following engagement. These findings provide a basis for scalable communication strategies to reduce polarisation between the red meat industry and the community.

MLA action

This project highlights how communication strategies could be used to increase convergence in attitudes between the public and producers. This requires ongoing support from MLA to facilitate the necessary extension infrastructure. For example, the deliberative forum approach could be used, with agricultural shows or field days as possible venues.

Future research

• The efficacy of using video recordings of facilitated forums that address the key issues of public concern disseminated to both producers and the general-public on platforms including social media, YouTube, ABC documentaries, etc, should be evaluated. Future research could evaluate the efficacy of different media to disseminate material.
• The focus of this project was on husbandry practices in the red meat industry, so more research could be done into how deliberative forums might be used to address other concerns in the red meat industry, for example live animal export.
• Future research should investigate the ways in which producer concerns about possible adverse public commentary especially on social media might be addressed.
• Although this was not addressed within this project, the comments from the focus groups warrant further consideration. For example, clearer labelling and accreditations, more effective use of use of media to promote farmers and increase familiarity in the public with farming practices, more active roles from national and state bodies in relation to responding to negative events, education in schools and farms visits were all suggested actions raised in both the public and producer focus groups which could be taken to improve public perception and allow greater convergence between producers and public.