Fire Eaters: Exploring Consumer Preferences for Labeling Extensive Livestock Products Providing Wildfire Prevention Services

Abstract

Extensive livestock grazing has proved to be a valuable tool to reduce wildfire risk in Mediterranean landscapes. Meat from herds providing wildfire prevention services exhibit sustainability traits that can appeal to ethical consumers and find a suitable niche in local markets. This study assesses the preferences of a consumer sample in the province of Girona (north-eastern Spain) for different lamb meat labeling options from herds providing wildfire prevention services. The aim is to disentangle consumer profiles, providing evidence for improved product labeling. This may increase the added value and the viability of small farms providing this service. Employing a latent class modeling approach, we explore how meat consumption patterns and socioeconomic features may contribute to explain preferences for different meat labeling options. Our results have identified three consumer profiles: traditional rural consumers relying on trust with producers, younger consumers more akin to new labeling schemes, and urban consumers that support local butchers as a trusted information source. Different labeling mechanisms may work in a complementary way to arrive to different audiences of potential consumers. Geographical indication labels can serve as a good departure point, complemented with information cues on environmental factors related to wildfire protection.

Exploring Sustainability and Efficiency of Production Models in the Spanish Beef Cattle Industry through External Logistic Biplot

“…This approach, added to their ruminant nature, not only demonstrates that they do not compete directly with resources destined for human consumption but also play a fundamental role in the cleaning and conservation of pastures and natural vegetation. This reduces the risk of forest fires and contributes to the preservation of biodiversity, highlighting their importance in sustainable practices [8][9][10]15,17]. However, for calf fattening, the opposite behaviors have been found; these farms do not correlate with the possession of natural pastures, the use of pastures by mowing and conservation, the movement of animals according to pasture availability, or the use of electric grazers.…”

“…In particular, the beef cattle sector stands out as one of the most relevant components of livestock farming, both globally and in the national context [1,[6][7][8]. In Spain, this activity not only represents an important source of economic income but also triggers a series of positive effects in terms of social development and environmental sustainability [9,10].…”

Fire Flocks: Participating Farmers’ Perceptions after Five Years of Development

“…This requires expansion to a regional scale, which may mean extending the scope of action beyond the designated SMAs and CAs. As a direct consequence, the increased number of products on the market (together with a strong communication campaign) will lead to greater visibility of the brand and consequently generate commercial and social impacts [26].…”

“…To this end, the project has created a certification for products produced from the herds so the end consumer is more aware of wildfire risk and the positive impact of consumption habits on wildfire risk reduction (Figure 1). The main idea is to sell more products without increasing the price, despite a recent study showing that a certain target consumer would be willing to pay more for products that serve to aid fire prevention [26]. The present article aims to analyse the opinions collected from the FF farmers following the initial five years of the project's implementation.…”

The Effect of Weaning and Slaughter Age on the Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Arouquesa Beef—A PDO Portuguese Meat

“…Furthermore, raising autochthonous breeds has a substantial socio-economic impact on rural communities, represents a part of these regions’ culture and traditions and contributes to the preservation of genetic patrimony [ 13 ]. When raised in extensive pasturage in mountain areas, they contribute to the regulation of spontaneous vegetation, avoiding the overgrowth of certain species that contribute to the wildland fire risk [ 14 ]. Despite the potential advantages of autochthonous breeds, the low productivity limits the interest in its production and has contributed to reducing the number of raised animals [ 15 ].…”