Perceptions of Animal Welfare With a Special Focus on Turkeys.

Nicole Widmar,Marisa Erasmus,Melissa Davis,Stacy Zuelly,Courtney Bir

doi:10.3389/fvets.2019.00413

Nicole Widmar, Marisa Erasmus

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00413

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Abstract

Meat consumption and public concern for farm animal welfare are increasing, despite limited public understanding of agriculture and animal welfare. Turkey is important in U.S. holiday meal traditions and turkey meat is a frequently consumed processed product (i.e., lunchmeat). However, little is known about public perceptions and knowledge of commercial turkeys. An online survey was administered to 1,695 respondents in November 2018 to examine U.S. (1) demographic factors affecting meat consumption, selection of labeled meat products, and concern for animal welfare, (2) public knowledge of turkeys, and (3) concerns regarding the welfare of turkeys and other species. A total of 95% of respondents consumed meat and 10% hunted for some of the meat they consumed. Meat consumption frequency depended on region of residence, income level, gender, age, and whether respondents hunted. Of the meat consumers, 86% purchased turkey products. More meat consumers looked for the USDA organic label (39%) and the Non Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) project label (38%) than animal-welfare food labels (14%) when buying meat products. More pet owners (39%) than non-pet owners (25%) looked for animal welfare food labels. Being a pet owner increased the probability of being concerned about farm animal welfare. Concern for the commercial turkey was similar to concern for other farm animal species; self-reported knowledge of turkey production was low (mean score 2.64; scale of 1 to 7, 7 = highest). Turkey welfare concerns (mean score; rank from 1 to 5; 5 = least concerning) included poor nutrition (2.471) and illness (2.508), followed by housing (2.732), hot or cold weather (3.308) and transportation (3.981). Turkey welfare attributes that respondents cared the most about (mean score; scale of 1–5, 5 = cared the least) included space to move around (2.366), followed by veterinary health and wellness (2.680), ability to perform natural behavior (2.812), no feather loss or visible injuries (3.304), and decreased aggression (3.837). Demographic factors are important determinants of meat consumption and animal welfare concern. Public knowledge of turkey production is limited, despite a large percentage of the population purchasing turkey products.

Highlights

With the projected increase in the world’s population to 9.1 billion by 2050, food production will need to increase by 70% [1], all the while being sustainable and taking animal welfare into consideration
This study examined U.S [1] demographic factors affecting meat consumption, selection of labeled meat products and concern for animal welfare, [2] public knowledge of turkeys, and [3] concerns regarding the welfare of turkeys and other animal species
The increasing public concern for animal welfare drives the need for factors affecting meat consumption and animal welfare to be better understood

Summary

Introduction

With the projected increase in the world’s population to 9.1 billion by 2050, food production will need to increase by 70% [1], all the while being sustainable and taking animal welfare into consideration. The increase in turkey and meat production has been paralleled by an increase in public interest in animal welfare, which has partly driven changes to legislation concerning the housing and management of farm animals (e.g., Proposition 2 of 2008 in California and Public Act 117 of 2009 in Michigan), despite few members of the public being familiar with agriculture and agricultural practices [6]. As meat production and public interest in animal welfare continue to increase, public perceptions will continue to influence agricultural practices. It is important to understand factors influencing meat consumption and public perceptions of animal welfare. This study examined U.S [1] demographic factors affecting meat consumption, selection of labeled meat products and concern for animal welfare, [2] public knowledge of turkeys, and [3] concerns regarding the welfare of turkeys and other animal species

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