Consumer evaluation of intra-sustainable trade-offs in pig production – A mixed-method approach to analyze different consumer segments

ABSTRACT In the ongoing public debate about livestock production systems and especially for pig production, natural living conditions, including sufficient space for each individual animal, outdoor access and litter bedding are the most discussed public issues. In contrast, many consumers are very price sensitive and additionally demand products to have high food safety and high quality. Thus, trade-offs arise for farmers, policymakers and all actors in the supply chain. Up to now, it is widely unknown how people react and deal with intra-sustainable trade-offs in conventional pig farming systems. Typical trade-offs occur, for example, when using farrowing crates for sows, or outdoor access for slaughter pigs. Against a background of little knowledge, a mixed-method approach was used. First, ten qualitative in-depth interviews with German citizens were conducted. There followed an online survey with 1,298 German citizens. Realistic pictures and texts (formulated in cooperation with farmer associations and association for the protection of farm animals) were used to provide the participants with information about trade-offs (farrowing crate and outdoor access). Participants were confronted with trade-offs regarding farrowing crate and outdoor access and were asked to evaluate the systems. Using a cluster analysis, four clusters (“Unsure,” “Vague decision makers”, “Animal welfare supporters,” and “Animal and environmental protectionists”) were identified to characterize consumers´ evaluation of the trade-offs. The findings of this exploratory multi-method approach show that the given information about the farrowing crate did not lead to more acceptance. Furthermore, the presented negative aspects about outdoor access did not change its positive image. This could be useful for policymakers and all actors in the pig supply chain.