One modern approach to addressing animal welfare-related challenges in agricultural systems is through technological solutions (e.g. genetic modification, plant-based milk). New research by AWP researchers, published today in PLoS ONE (https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250850), evaluated public attitudes toward current approaches and technological alternatives to common welfare issues on dairy farms. While previous studies assess attitudes toward individual issues, this is the first study to compare attitudes across a range of welfare concerns and solutions.
Through a mixed methods survey, participants were presented with four scenarios describing dairy practices (cow-calf separation, the fate of excess dairy calves, pasture access and disbudding). Participants rated their support (on a 7-point scale) toward five approaches (maintaining standard farm practice, using a naturalistic approach, using a technological approach, or switching to plant-based or yeast-based milk production) aimed at addressing the welfare issues associated with the four dairy practices. Results show that attitudes toward milk alternatives (plant-based and yeast-based milk) are affected by diet, with vegetarians and vegans showing more support for these alternatives. Regardless of diet, most participants opposed genetic modification technologies and supported more naturalistic practices. This demonstrates that citizens consider multiple aspects of farm systems when contemplating animal welfare concerns, and tend to favor naturalistic approaches over technological solutions, especially when the latter are based on genetic modification.