Attitudes of Dutch pig farmers towards animal welfare

Purpose ¿ The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the rationale of Dutch pig farmers concerning animal welfare and animal-friendly production. It aims to show the interrelations between farmers' production logic, their ideas about good farming and animal welfare and the characteristics of Dutch pig production. Design/methodology/approach ¿ In total, 62 Dutch pig farmers, participating in quality assurance schemes with different focuses on animal welfare, were interviewed about animal welfare, legislation, quality assurance schemes, and possibilities for animal-friendly production. Findings ¿ Farmers' attitudes towards animal welfare and the implementation of animal welfare measures follow their understanding of good farming practices, which in turn are strongly influenced by the rationale of the market in which they operate. Two groups can be distinguished. Farmers operating in markets that focus on price and production-efficiency tend to define animal welfare in terms of animal health and optimal zoo-technical performance. Farmers operating in markets with a broader sense of quality, which incorporates values such as naturalness, animal welfare and care for the environment, define animal welfare in terms of the room the animals have to express natural behaviour. Originality/value ¿ This article provides insights into the perception of Dutch pig farmers about animal welfare and their readiness to change towards more animal-friendly production methods. It points to the interrelations between animal welfare attitudes and behaviour, farmers' perception of good farming and the production logic of the farm. These interrelated influences should be borne in mind by policy makers and researchers seeking to raise welfare levels in pig production

Animal Welfare: the attitudes and behaviour of European pig farmers

Purpose ¿ The purpose of this paper is to provide insights into the behaviour and attitudes of European pig producers towards animal welfare. It looks at the relationship of these factors with farmers' understanding of good farming and production logic, together with national characteristics of production, and market and policy arrangements. Design/methodology/approach ¿ This article synthesises the results of six national studies in which circa 360 pig farmers were interviewed. It compares the differences in attitudes and behaviour of farmers across different countries forming quality-assurance schemes. This allows for an understanding of how participation in different types of schemes affects farmers' definitions and practice of animal welfare and how this is embedded in specific national contexts

Farmers’ Relationship with Different Animals: The Importance of Getting Close to the Animals - Case Studies of French, Swedish and Dutch Cattle, Pig and Poultry Farmers

The article analyses how cattle and poultry farmers in the Netherlands described their relationship with their farm animals and explores the factors that influence their level of attachment to them. The analysis draws upon Willkie’s (2005) framework of farmer-animal relationship, which distinguishes between different levels of attachment and detachment. This framework was useful for explaining why farmers developed different levels of attachment to animals, with the species, farm sector and housing system all playing roles in influencing this. Farmers tended to be more attached to cows than to chickens and felt more attachment towards breeding, as opposed to fattening, animals. Breeding, especially of cows, linked the animal to the personal histories of farmers, since their ancestors had often established the bloodlines of dairy cows. Farmers’ relationships with their animals were also influenced by the organization of production at the farm: the number of animals, their length of stay on the farm and the housing system. These factors all influenced the visibility of the animal as an individual and as a ‘real’ animal and not a living tool of production. The species and function of an animal and the organization of production largely defined the frequency, intensity and intimacy of farmers’ contact with individual animals. Practically all farmers (across sectors) perceived taking good care of animals and avoidance of suffering as a core element of their job and caring about animals as central to their definition of a ‘good farmer’. Beyond this, different groups of farmers showed clear differences in their level of attachment to their animals. In general dairy farmers felt more strongly attached to their dairy cows than farmers to their beef cattle or veal, whereas most poultry farmers felt rather detached from their chicken, and tended to perceive them as part of a flock and ‘living production tools’. These animals were not only de-individualized; at times and when seen solely as part of a meat and egg production system they were almost de-animalized