Hahnenküken von Legehühnern sollen leben! Und was machen wir dann mit den Hähnen? Zahlungsbereitschaft für Hahnenfleischprodukte unter Berücksichtigung des Informations-Framings

Eine angemessene Zahlungsbereitschaft für Fleischerzeugnisse von Legehybrid- oder Zweinutzungshähnen ist ein wichtiger Aspekt, um diese innovativen Konzepte der Legehennenhaltung wirtschaftlich tragfähig zu machen. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die Auswirkung von Informations-Framing auf die Zahlungsbereitschaft für Fleischprodukte dieser Hähne. Das multiple lineare Regressionsmodell zeigt, dass sich ein hedonistisches Framing signifikant positiv auf die Zahlungsbereitschaft der VerbraucherInnen auswirkt. Im Gegensatz dazu beeinflussen die Einstellungen der VerbraucherInnen zur Tötung der Eintagsküken die Zahlungsbereitschaft nicht

Hedonische Analyse von Milchpreisen auf Einzelhandelsebene: Qualitäts-, Siegel- und Markeneffekte

Trinkmilch wird auf der Einzelhandelsebene zunehmend als Produktkategorie zur Differenzierung  verwendet. Ein hedonisches Preismodell mit einem Datensatz von 362 Preisbeobachtungen aus 46 lokalen Einzelhandelsmärkten und Online-Stores wird verwendet, um Preiseffekte verschiedener Qualitätsfaktoren, Labels und Marken zu schätzen. Weidemilch und Biomilch haben signifikante positive Preiseffekte, wenn andere Faktoren isoliert werden. Die Label-Effekte sind deutlich niedriger als Markeneffekte. Siegel müssen stärker mit den Instrumenten einer erfolgreichen Markenpolitik geführt werden, um ihren Preiseinfluss zu erhöhen

Market failures in supplying animal welfare: some conceptual thoughts for future research

Providing adequate levels of farm animal welfare is a challenge in today’s societies. Economic research shows that neither market valuation for credence attributes in opaque markets, nor transparency improved market valuation with labelling schemes, nor non-market valuation in hypothetical markets to take account of non-use values, nor non-monetary valuation in an ethical context will suffice to provide adequate levels of farm animal welfare. Monetary and non-monetary valuation problems stem from the complex concept of farm animal welfare and ethical challenges in utilitarian and anthropocentric approaches. Animal centred valuation of farm animal welfare is suggested as one future venue of economic research requiring to leave behind speciesism

Emotional response to pictures of farm animals: Influence of picture content and recipient characteristics

Pictures play a dominant role in communication about livestock farming. They are used by competing lobby groups not only to inform their audience cognitively but also to target emotionally. However, few studies have looked at the effects pictures from livestock farming have on recipients. In this study, we used an online survey to investigate the emotional response in the dimensions pleasure and arousal to pictures showing farm animals of the animal classes fish, birds, and mammals in different circumstances. The results show that pictures depicting farm animals in an outdoor environment led to high pleasure and low arousal. Looking at pictures showing animals kept indoors led to less pleasure and higher arousal, a response that was further intensified when recipients were confronted with pictures of suffering animals. While the recipients’ characteristics investigated in this study, i.e. professional background, belief in animal mind and personality traits, had no influence on emotional response to pictures showing farm animals outdoors, they affected emotional response to pictures depicting farm animals indoors and suffering. We discuss how awareness of the individuality of emotional response and reflection on one’s own emotional states related to livestock farming might lead to more animal and human welfare and a more respectful dialogue between opposing groups

Market and Institutional Limits in Supplying Animal Welfare: some Conceptual Thoughts for Future Agricultural Economic Research

Providing adequate levels of farm animal welfare is a challenge in today’s societies. Economic research indicates that neither market valuation for credence attributes in opaque markets, nor transparency improved market valuation with labelling schemes, nor non-market valuation in hypothetical markets to consider non-use values, nor non-monetary valuation in an ethical context are suitable to capture the value dimensions of farm animal welfare adequately. Monetary and non-monetary valuation problems stem from the complex concept of farm animal welfare and ethical challenges in utilitarian and anthropocentric approaches. Animal centred valuation of farm animal welfare is suggested as one future venue of economic research conditioned on overcoming speciesism

Applying the HEXACO Model of Personality to German Livestock Farmers: Item Scale Validation, Personality Structure and Influence on Participation in Livestock Certification Schemes

Decisions made by farmers have impacts beyond the farm boundary, because farmers are the first link in the food supply chain. For this reason, understanding their decision-making behaviour may be of interest to all stakeholders of food systems. Since there is considerable evidence that personality traits may affect decision-making behaviour, we investigated personality traits utilising the HEXACO model of personality in a sample of 244 German livestock farmers. Based on comparisons with data obtained from existing literature that investigated the HEXACO personality traits using community samples and with preliminary data from an own community sample, we found that the livestock farmers differed from the general population. The farmers had higher scores in Honesty-Humility and Conscientiousness and were more emotionally stable. Results of a multinomial logistic regression model showed that personality traits influenced farmers’ decisions to participate in particular livestock certification schemes. While high Conscientiousness increased the probability of participating in conventional animal welfare schemes, high Openness to Experience facilitated participation in organic schemes. However, the results of a confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the German version of the short item scale used to measure the personality traits of the farmer sample should be partially modified. Even though the results should be understood rather as first indications and as a basis for further research, our findings extend the understanding of farmers’ personality and provide information on underlying factors of farmers’ decision-making related to participation in livestock certification schemes. They could help to better align support strategies, e.g. for more environmentally and animal-friendly production, with the personality of farmers

Personality traits of German livestock farmers: Are there differences according to the production system?

Decisions made by farmers can have large influences beyond the farm boundary because farmers are the firstlink in the food supply chain. For this reason, understanding their decision-making behaviour may be of interestto all stakeholders of food systems. Since there is considerable evidence that personality traits may affectdecision-making behaviour, this paper investigates personality traits according to the HEXACO model ofpersonality in a sample of 244 German livestock farmers. Our results indicate that livestock farmers differ intheir personality from the general population, with farmers scoring higher on honesty-humility,conscientiousness and being more emotionally stable. Comparisons within the farmer sample show thatorganic livestock farmers score higher on Openness than conventional farmers. However, the results of aconfirmatory factor analysis suggest that the German version of the short item scale used to measure thepersonality traits of the sample should be partially modified. Even though our results should therefore beunderstood rather as first indications and a basis for further research, they could help to better align supportstrategies, e.g. for more animal-friendly production, with the personality traits of farmers

Responsible Innovation in Layer Poultry Farming: Are Organic Consumers Sufficiently Informed about the Current Situation of Killing Day-old Male Chicks to Contribute to the Innovation Process?

Currently, there is no societal consensus on the handling of male chicks in layer poultry farming. When searching for responsible innovation in the face of ethical concerns due to the killing of these day-old male chicks, consumers as main stakeholders should be involved in the innovation process. However, participation in the innovation process requires sufficient knowledge of the current situation and its alternatives, since only this knowledge allows informed judgments. In order to gain insights into consumers’ knowledge and attitudes regarding the alternatives of rearing the male chicks, we conducted 146 tablet-aided standardised personal interviews with customers of a German organic butcher’s shop, as consumers of organic food may be a target group for cockerel products. The results reveal the respondents’ profound disapproval about the current situation of killing day-old male chicks, but also show a considerable lack of knowledge. We conclude that comprehensive educational work is necessary to enable consumers to form a sound opinion and to participate in the innovation process

Remote sensing of bush encroachment on commercial cattle farms in semi-arid rangelands in Namibia

Bush encroachment is one of the most extensive changes in land cover in Namibia and an urgent problem for cattle farming, rapidly reducing the productivity of the rangeland. Despite the severity of these consequences, a complete and accurate assessment of bush encroached areas is still missing at large. This study aims at assessing bush encroachment on commercial cattle farms in central Namibia by employing remote sensing methods to distinguish between areas covered by bush and open rangeland. Herein we use different classification techniques and vegetation indices to characterize the nature of vegetation cover. Our analysis shows that results are sensitive to specific classifications of indices. As an accuracy assessment could not be run on these results we could not analyze which classification approximates real bush encroachment best. Hence, this study highlights the need for further analysis. Ground truth data, in the form of field mappings, high resolution aerial photographs or local expert knowledge are needed to gain further insights and produce reliable results.remote sensing, semi-arid rangelands, cattle farming, bush encroachment

Teaching Libraries zwischen Vermittlung fachwissenschaftlicher Informationskompetenz und der Unterstützung einer Propädeutik für die Digital Humanities

Der Beitrag geht von der Beobachtung aus, dass Bibliotheken bisher zwar die Themen E‑Science und Forschungsdaten in ihre Überlegungen hinsichtlich spezifischer Angebote zur Informationskompetenz einbezogen haben. Aber obwohl Bibliotheken über ein breites Portfolio an Veranstaltungen zur Vermittlung von Informationskompetenz gerade in den Geisteswissenschaften auf B.A.-Niveauverfügen, wurde bisher nicht konzeptionell die Möglichkeit diskutiert, auf dieser Grundlage für die darauf aufbauenden Niveau-Stufen Anschlussmöglichkeiten im Hinblick auf Themen und Tools derDigital Humanities zu entwerfen. Mit Blick auf die gegenwärtig insbesondere innerhalb der deutschen Geschichtswissenschaft diskutierten Zusammenhänge zwischen Historischen Grundwissenschaften, Digitalisierung und Digital Humanities könnte die Unterstützung einer Propädeutik für die Digital Humanities durch Bibliotheken im Rahmen der Veranstaltungen zur Vermittlung von Informationskompetenz jedoch zukunftsweisend sein. Hierdurch wäre auch an Universitäten ohne institutionelle Verankerung von Digital-Humanities-Studiengängen eine Grundorientierung durch aufeinander abgestimmte Angebote unterschiedlicher Partner für historisch orientierte Geisteswissenschaften möglich.This paper takes its cue from the observation that many libraries have already integrated the subjects of e-science and research data into their specific curricular offers of information literacy classes. But despite the fact that libraries offer a broad range of training courses in information literacy, especially in the humanities at a B.A. level, so far there has been little discussion of concepts for possible consecutive classes on the basis of these courses, with a view to teaching the topics and tools of thedigital humanities. Against the background of the current discussion among German historians about the connections between basic historical skills, digitisation and the digital humanities, a library-developedpropaedeutics in the digital humanities as part of information literacy courses could prove to be trendsetting. Thus, a basic orientation through coordinated efforts by different partners within the historically oriented humanities could be provided – even at universities which do not offer aninstitutionally based program of digital humanities studies