‘Ag-gag’ laws increase negative perceptions of farm animal welfare and decrease trust in farmers

Abstract

In response to undercover videos of poor farm animal welfare, livestock industry groups in the USA and Australia have lobbied for the introduction of laws designed to limit the ability of such investigations to occur. These ‘Ag-gag’ laws have garnered a great deal of media attention and public debate. This online study assessed support of USA participants (n=715) for these laws and experimentally tested whether awareness of these laws has any unintended reputational consequences. Opposition to these laws was high (74% opposed) and when participants became aware of them (as a result of participating in our survey) their perception of animal welfare on farms became more negative, as did their willingness to trust farmers as sources about animal welfare. Exposure to the ‘Ag-Gag’ laws also negatively affected the perceptions of participants regarding issues unrelated to animal welfare (e.g. environmental stewardship, food safety, worker rights, etc.). These results suggest that policies perceived as limiting transparency are perceived negatively and undermine public trust in agriculture.