Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
PLoS One. 2021 Apr 30;16(4):e0250850. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250850. eCollection 2021.
Dairy farm systems have intensified to meet growing demands for animal products, but public opposition to this intensification has also grown due, in part, to concerns about animal welfare. One approach to addressing challenges in agricultural systems has been through the addition of new technologies, including genetic modification. Previous studies have reported some public resistance towards the use of these technologies in agriculture, but this research has assessed public attitudes toward individual practices and technologies and few studies have examined a range of practices on dairy farms. In the present study, we presented participants with four scenarios describing dairy practices (cow-calf separation, the fate of excess dairy calves, pasture access and disbudding). Citizens from Canada and the United States (n = 650) indicated their support (on a 7-point scale) toward five approaches (maintaining standard farm practice, using a naturalistic approach, using a technological approach, or switching to plant-based or yeast-based milk production) aimed at addressing the welfare issues associated with the four dairy practices. Respondents also provided a text-based rationale for their responses and answered a series of demographic questions including age, gender, and diet. Participant diet affected attitudes toward milk alternatives, with vegetarians and vegans showing more support for the plant-based and yeast-based milk production. Regardless of diet, most participants opposed genetic modification technologies and supported more naturalistic practices. Qualitative responses provided insight into participants' values and concerns, and illustrated a variety of perceived benefits and concerns related to the options presented. Common themes included animal welfare, ethics of animal use, and opposition toward technology. We conclude that Canadian and US citizens consider multiple aspects of farm systems when contemplating animal welfare concerns, and tend to favor naturalistic approaches over technological solutions, especially when the latter are based on genetic modification.
奶制品农场系统为了满足日益增长的动物产品需求而日益集约化，但由于公众对动物福利的担忧，他们对这种集约化也越来越反对。解决农业系统面临的挑战的一种方法是增加新技术，包括基因改造。先前的研究报告称，公众对这些农业技术的使用存在一些抵制，但这项研究评估了公众对个别做法和技术的态度，很少有研究考察奶制品农场的一系列做法。在本研究中，我们向参与者展示了四个描述奶制品做法的场景（牛犊分离、多余奶牛犊的命运、牧场通道和去角）。来自加拿大和美国的公民（n=650）在一个 7 分制上表示支持（支持度）针对五种方法（维持标准农场做法、采用自然主义方法、采用技术方法、或改用植物基或酵母基牛奶生产），旨在解决与四个奶制品做法相关的福利问题。受访者还根据自己的回答提供了基于文本的理由，并回答了一系列人口统计问题，包括年龄、性别和饮食。参与者的饮食影响了他们对牛奶替代品的态度，素食者和纯素食者更支持植物基和酵母基牛奶生产。无论饮食如何，大多数参与者反对基因改造技术，支持更自然主义的做法。定性反应提供了参与者价值观和关注点的深入了解，并说明了与所提出的选择相关的各种感知益处和关注点。常见的主题包括动物福利、动物使用伦理以及对技术的反对。我们的结论是，加拿大和美国公民在考虑动物福利问题时会考虑农场系统的多个方面，并且倾向于自然主义方法而不是技术解决方案，尤其是当后者基于基因改造时。
