Sato Patrycia, Hötzel Maria J, von Keyserlingk Marina A G
Animal Welfare Program, 2357 Main Mall, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Laboratório de Etologia Aplicada e Bem-Estar Animal, Departamento de Zootecnia e Desenvolvimento Rural, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88034-001, Brazil.
Animals (Basel). 2017 Aug 22;7(8):64. doi: 10.3390/ani7080064.
Food animal production practices are often cited as having negative animal welfare consequences. The U.S. swine industry has not been exempt from such criticisms. Little is known, however, about how lay citizens who are not actively engaged in agricultural discussions, think about swine production. Thus, the aim of this study was to explore the views of people not affiliated with the swine industry on what they perceived to be the ideal pig/pork farm, and their associated reasons. Through an online survey, participants were invited to respond to the following open-ended question: "What do you consider to be an ideal pig/pork farm and why are these characteristics important to you?". Generally respondents considered animal welfare (e.g., space, freedom to move, and humane treatment), respondents considered the business operation role important for pork production (e.g., profitability, compliance with sanitary, environmental rules and regulations, and workers' rights), and naturalness (e.g., natural feeding, behaviours and life) important for pork production. Concerns relating to pigs' quality of life included space to move, feeding, contact with outdoors or nature, absence of pain, suffering and mistreatment. Perspectives were also raised regarding the ideal farm as a profitable business operation, clean, and with optimal sanitary conditions. Respondents also emphasized naturalness, frequently stating that pigs should have access to the outdoors, and rejected the use of hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals for the purposes of increasing production. In summary, the findings of this study suggest that the U.S. swine industry should strive to adopt animal management practices that resonate with societal values, such as ensuring humane treatment, and the failure to do so could risk the sustainability of the swine industry.
食用动物的生产方式常被认为会对动物福利产生负面影响。美国养猪业也未能免受此类批评。然而，对于那些不积极参与农业讨论的普通民众如何看待养猪生产，我们知之甚少。因此，本研究的目的是探讨非养猪行业人士对他们所认为的理想养猪场/猪肉农场的看法及其相关原因。通过在线调查，邀请参与者回答以下开放式问题：“你认为理想的养猪场/猪肉农场是什么样的，为什么这些特征对你很重要？”。一般来说，受访者认为动物福利（如空间、行动自由和人道待遇）、猪肉生产中商业运营的作用（如盈利能力、遵守卫生和环境法规以及工人权利）以及猪肉生产的自然性（如自然喂养、行为和生活）很重要。与猪的生活质量相关的担忧包括行动空间、喂养、与户外或自然接触、无疼痛、无痛苦和无虐待。对于理想农场，也有人提出了作为盈利性商业运营、清洁且具备最佳卫生条件的观点。受访者还强调了自然性，经常表示猪应该能够接触户外，并拒绝为增加产量而使用激素、抗生素和其他化学品。总之，本研究结果表明，美国养猪业应努力采用与社会价值观相符的动物管理做法，如确保人道待遇，否则可能会危及养猪业的可持续性。
