Analysing public acceptance of four common husbandry systems for dairy cattle using a picture-based approach

Kühl, Sarah; Gauly, Sarah; Spiller, Achim

doi:10.1016/j.livsci.2018.12.022

Cited by 34 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Some studies investigated the public acceptance of agriculture and modern farming in general (e.g., Sharp and Tucker 2005;Boogaard et al 2011a;Kühl et al 2019), new agrifood technologies such as genetic engineering or nanotechnology (e.g., Frewer 2017), renewable energy innovations (e.g., Devlin 2005;Wüstenhagen et al 2007;Stiehler 2015), and novel agricultural production methods in and on urban buildings (Specht et al 2016). In the context of agriculture and modern farming, research on public acceptance has focused on individual aspects of animal husbandry such as animal welfare (e.g., Kendall et al 2006;Deemer and Lobao 2011).…”

Section: Public Acceptance Of Digital Farming Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the public attitudinal acceptance of digital farming technologies: a nationwide survey in Germany

2020

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The magnitude of public concerns about agricultural innovations has often been underestimated, as past examples, such as pesticides, nanotechnology, and cloning, demonstrate. Indeed, studies have proven that the agricultural sector presents an area of tension and often attracts skepticism concerning new technologies. Digital technologies have become increasingly popular in agriculture. Yet there are almost no investigations on the public acceptance of digitalization in agriculture so far. Our online survey provides initial insights to reduce this knowledge gap. The sample (n = 2012) represents the German population in terms of gender, age (minimum 18 years), education and size of place of residence. Results showed that if the potential of digital farming technologies (DFT) regarding animal welfare and environmental protection was described, respondents reacted positively. Thus, the general attitudes of respondents toward the benefits of DFT were mostly positive. The approval to increasing adoption rates of particular DFT by providing subsidies was also high. Linear regression models showed that the dominant positive influences on respondents' attitudes toward the benefits of DFT were a generally positive attitude toward farming and a strong trust in farmers in Germany. Confronting respondents with pictures showing DFT resulted in many spontaneous negative associations and general criticism of agricultural production. The latter holds true for DFT in animal husbandry in particular. However, as agriculture as a whole is criticized by many groups in Germany, it is unlikely that benefits from digitalization will significantly increase the public acceptance of agriculture as a whole.

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Section: Public Acceptance Of Digital Farming Technologiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the public attitudinal acceptance of digital farming technologies: a nationwide survey in Germany

2020

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“…One last, and increasingly important, aspect to be considered is the societal acceptance of dairy farming. Recent research shows that the welfare of dairy cattle is an important issue for civil society and that some common practices, once widely known, are not easily accepted by the general public (e.g., lack of access to pasture, early cow-calf separation, and disbudding or dehorning without pain relief [49][50][51]). All this should be done keeping in mind that the concept of sustainability is evolving.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Protection of Dairy Cattle in the EU: State of Play and Directions for Policymaking from a Legal and Animal Advocacy Perspective

Nalon¹,

Stevenson²

2019

Animals

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With the exception of a detailed Directive for calves, the welfare of dairy cattle is not regulated by species-specific legislation in the European Union. Their basic protection falls under the provisions of Directive 98/58/EC, also known as the “General Farm Animals Directive”. Article 3 of this Directive states: “Member States shall make provision to ensure that the owners or keepers take all reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of animals under their care and to ensure that those animals are not caused any unnecessary pain, suffering or injury”. However, recent reports show that the welfare of dairy cows in the EU is not sufficiently monitored and that serious problems persist. Lameness, mastitis, cubicle design, flooring, cleanliness, and permanent tethering remain critical areas. We argue that, to demonstrate compliance with Article 3 of Directive 98/58, farmers and Member States should urgently address these issues. The increasing proportion of cows that are never allowed to graze and high milk yields are also reasons for concern and will need to be addressed as a matter of priority in future EU guides to good practice and, eventually, legislation.

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“…Grazing cows, however, have a positive image and contribute to societal acceptance of dairy farming and dairy products [8]. A survey in Germany showed that public acceptance of dairy farming housing systems clearly increased with the presence of a paddock or pasture [9]. Stakeholders appreciate grazing livestock for their contribution to cultural ecosystem services, e.g., cultural, historic, and natural heritage, as well as educational, landscape, and recreational values, and for supporting and regulating ecosystem services, e.g., habitat provision, nutrient cycling, climate, and flood control [10].…”

Section: Motivation For and Against Grazingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Amazing Grazing: A Public and Private Partnership to Stimulate Grazing Practices in Intensive Dairy Systems

Schils¹,

Philipsen

Hoekstra

et al. 2019

Sustainability

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In many intensive dairy regions in northwest Europe, a decline in grazing is observed. In the Netherlands, the proportion of dairy cows with access to pasture is declining, as well as the time spent grazing per cow. The decline in grazing is seen as an unwanted trend by many stakeholders and is, thus, under debate amongst dairy farmers, the dairy chain, and society. Therefore, a public–private partnership was initiated to encourage grazing by providing farmers with usable means of improving their grazing systems. The partnership involved stakeholders from the dairy farming community, dairy and feed industry, agrotechnical industries, advisory services, and research. The objective of this partnership was to develop and stimulate technological innovations and management measures that increase fresh grass intake at pasture. The innovation network combined an integrated research approach with farmer working groups and broader stakeholder interactive meetings. The project started with a comprehensive grass intake framework, which was the foundation for exploration of innovations. The framework consisted of six interlinked components: soil, grass growth, grass supply, grass intake, feed supplementation, and cow behavior. In a continuous interactive cycle, strategic choices were made to focus on potentially effective innovations. The use of a public–private partnership to develop usable innovations that encourage grazing practices proven to be a good approach to develop a shared vision among stakeholders. It provided a basis to work together toward innovative practices and to disseminate the outcomes to the foreseen users. The approach succeeded in design concepts for two specific innovations, i.e., weekly grass growth predictions and daily fresh grass intake tracking. We demonstrated that meaningful grazing and fresh grass intake are possible in intensive dairy systems with high stocking rates and high levels of supplementary feeding.

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Analysing public acceptance of four common husbandry systems for dairy cattle using a picture-based approach

Cited by 34 publications

References 40 publications

Understanding the public attitudinal acceptance of digital farming technologies: a nationwide survey in Germany

Understanding the public attitudinal acceptance of digital farming technologies: a nationwide survey in Germany

Protection of Dairy Cattle in the EU: State of Play and Directions for Policymaking from a Legal and Animal Advocacy Perspective

Amazing Grazing: A Public and Private Partnership to Stimulate Grazing Practices in Intensive Dairy Systems

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