Association of health involvement and attitudes towards eating fish on farmed and wild fish consumption in Belgium, Norway and Spain

Consumers in many European countries do not equally meet the recommended daily intake levels for fish consumption. Various factors that can influence fish consumption behaviour have been identified but limited research has been performed on fish consumption behaviour, discriminating between farmed and wild fish. The present survey study confirmed differences in total fish consumption, farmed fish and wild fish consumption behaviour in Belgium, Norway and Spain. Spanish consumers consumed more frequently fish of each category than Norwegian consumers. Belgian consumers reported the lowest consumption frequency of fish. Accordingly, health involvement and attitudes towards fish consumption decreased from Spain over Norway to Belgium, suggesting a positive association of health involvement and attitudes towards fish consumption with total fish consumption. Similar effects were found for farmed and wild fish consumption. In general consumers in all countries were poorly aware of the origin of the fish they consume, despite the mandatory indication of origin on fish labels. Across countries, an increased awareness about fish origin was found with increased fish consumption. The findings of the study indicate that farmed and wild fish consumption should be further stimulated among Belgian, Norwegian and Spanish consumers in association with a healthy and positive meal. Additionally, given the limited awareness of the origin of fish, transparency on the issue of farmed origin will be important in order to anticipate potential adverse communication

Economic impact of decreasing stocking densities in broiler rabbit production based on Belgian farm data

[EN] Stocking density is a prominent issue in public debates on farm animal welfare. Public perceptions and economic impact of reduced stocking density should be considered, along with effects on animal performances and welfare. In this paper, experimental data and accountancy data based on 15 Belgian farms were combined to calculate the financial impact of different stocking densities on broiler rabbit farm profitability. Using the partial budget technique, only those elements that change with stocking density were taken into account. From the experiment, feed conversion and feed intake were found to increase slightly though significantly with decreasing stocking density, although only 5% and 6% of the variation, respectively, were explained by stocking density. However, reducing stocking density implies a recalculation of all costs in a reduced number of broiler rabbits, which has a negative impact on farm profitability. Reducing stocking density from the standard situation of 15 rabbits per m² to 10 rabbits per m² reduced added value by 22 euros per doe. In general, farm income was low and amounted to only 28.10 euros per doe during 2006-2008 for the reference situation of 15 rabbits per m². Below a density of 9 rabbits/m², a negative farm income was calculated. Sensitivity analysis showed that rabbit meat price has a stronger influence on the added value at a given density than rabbit feed price.This research is funded by the Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology in Flanders (IWT Vlaanderen), Brussels, Belgium. We gratefully acknowledge the Flemish Association of Poultry and Rabbit Breeders, and especially Ilka Hertogs for their willingness to provide the used accountancy data.132Verspecht, A.; Maertens, L.; Vanhonacker, F.; Tuyttens, F.; Van Huylenbroeck, G.; Verbeke, W. (2011). Economic impact of decreasing stocking densities in broiler rabbit production based on Belgian farm data. World Rabbit Science. 19(3). doi:10.4995/wrs.2011.849SWORD12319

Percepção dos consumidores relativamente à carne de bovino: critérios de escolha a partir de grupos de discussão

Nas economias desenvolvidas, a segurança dos alimentos, o bem‑estar animal e o ambiente têm vindo a assumir relevância nas preocupações dos consumidores. Procurámos saber, através da metodologia dos grupos de discussão (focus groups) realizados em duas cidades de Portugal, Lisboa e Porto, as preocupações e perceções dos consumidores relativamente a estes atributos, os quais são essencialmente acreditados. Este conhecimento é fundamental para a aplicação posterior de métodos de preferências declaradas. Foi ainda possível obter, com base em exercícios de seleção entre carnes diferenciadas, e através de um modelo logit, intervalos de preços passíveis de serem utilizados posteriormente na definição de cenários em experiências de escolha (método de preferências declaradas) -----ABSTRACT-----In developed economies, food safety, animal welfare and the environment have become relevant consumers’ concerns. We conducted several focus groups in two Portuguese cities, Lisboa and Porto, in order to get participants perceptions and concerns for these attributes, which are essentially credence attributes. This knowledge is critical for the subsequent application of stated preference methods. It was also possible to estimate, based on exercises of selection among different meats, and through a logit model, price ranges that could be used in the definition of scenarios for choice experiments (stated preference method)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

What Difference Does a Visit Make? Changes in Animal Welfare Perceptions after Interested Citizens Tour a Dairy Farm

Citizens’ concerns about farm animal welfare are often dismissed on the assumption that they are not well informed about farming practices. We conducted exploratory surveys of interested citizens (n = 50) before and after a self-guided tour of a 500-head dairy farm. ‘Before’ survey questions explored perceptions, concerns, and values about dairy cattle farming and welfare, in addition to a short knowledge-based quiz on dairy cattle husbandry. An ‘after’ survey explored the extent to which these constructs shifted after the tour. Before, most participants correctly answered quiz questions about general feeding and housing practices, but scores were low on questions about specific practices such as cow-calf separation. Participants considered several elements as necessary for a ‘good’ life for dairy cattle: fresh food and water, pasture access, gentle handling, space, shelter, hygiene, fresh air and sunshine, social companions, absence of stress, health, and safety from predators. These elements reflect a diverse conception of animal welfare that incorporates values for physical and mental well-being, natural living, and humane care. The visit had a mixed effect on perceptions of whether dairy cows had a ‘good’ life, improving perceptions for a quarter of participants, worsening perceptions in a third, with no shift in the remaining participants. The visit appeared to mitigate some concerns (e.g., provision of adequate food and water, gentle humane care) while reinforcing or eliciting others (e.g., lack of pasture access, early cow-calf separation). Moreover, animal welfare-relevant values held by participants (e.g., natural living, care) appeared to play an important role in influencing perceptions of farm practices. These results suggest that education and exposure to livestock farming may resolve certain concerns, but other concerns will likely persist, especially when practices conflict with deeply held values around animal care