Canadian Consumer Attitudes towards Pork Production

AFAC Fall 04 Update ... Paul Hodgman, assistant manager of Alberta Pork, presented the pertinent animal care related results of the IPSOS Reid Survey to the AFAC board. This was the third time this survey has been conducted. This document forms the basis of Alberta Pork’s strategic programming.

Key Findings:

• Paul said he felt that reference to pigs in this report could be interchanged with any intensively raised livestock species.
• The attitudes of those in large urban communities and rural communities are generally quite similar. Environmental concerns top the list of ‘top of mind’ issues.
• ‘Mass production’ is a concern. The majority felt hogs on Canadian farms are ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ well treated. Large ‘factory’ farms and lack of room to move was raised as concerns.
• 2/3 feel that profit is more important to farmers than animal welfare and that on small farms animals are treated more humanely.
• Consumers feel veterinarians (98%), hog farmers and humane societies are most believable regarding animal welfare.
• The vast majority of Albertans (rural and urban) form their opinions on information provided through mass media.
• As with environmental concerns, the nature of hog farming causes dissonance when relating it to animal welfare.
• As the treatment of animals is primarily of concern to activist groups, it is unlikely that a public relations effort in this area will yield substantial gains.
• The industry trend towards ‘corporate-owned’ large-scale hog operations is a key concern of the non-farming public in 2004. Large operations appear to be a catalyst for environmental concerns and animal welfare. As consumers freely admit they know little about the hog industry, an enhanced focus on the benefits of such operations should be considered.