Don't Stress the Animal! Poor Animal Welfare and the Resulting 'Essence' in Meat

• In Event: Transgressing the Intersection of Science and Food I

Abstract

People are becoming increasingly concerned with how their food is produced, particularly with the rise of "big ag". The increased availability and sales of animal products with welfare claims have been linked to concerns about animal welfare. Through focus groups and interviews, we explored the attitudes of sixty-six meat consumers in Australia towards the concept of farm animal welfare. Participants of our research believed that if an animal is, what they consider to be as, poorly treated - whether on farm, during transport or slaughter - an 'essence' remains within the meat and can have an impact on the consumer. Such essence may be related to what they view as the un-natural feeding of grain to livestock or to the particular types of slaughter practices utilised. However, it is becoming increasingly apparent that attitudes towards what constitutes as "good" animal welfare differ greatly across the meat value chain. It is not a matter of whether such attitudes are considered as right or wrong - it is about how these attitudes are formed, influenced and shaped socially and culturally, and the impact they are having on the erosion of trust within the meat value chain. Without the consideration of such differing attitudes and dialogue between stakeholder groups, such as producers and consumers, conflict between attitudes will remain, with potentially dire consequences for the social license of meat producers and processors.

Authors

• Emily Buddle, University of Adelaide

• Heather Bray, The University of Adelaide

• Rachel Ankeny, The University of Adelaide