Three times as many Canadians are concerned about
animal welfare compared with two years ago, and they are more deeply disturbed than
they used to be, says University of Guelph researcher Michael von Massow.
Farms.com report that he was “stunned” by his research results.
“Two years ago, animal welfare registered with only a
small number of people, and most people said they didn’t consider it an issue,”
said von Massow, an associate professor in the College of Business and
Economics.
“Now, more people care…and they care more than they
used to.”
Von Massow’s research involves about 2,000 people, and
is carried out with support from the Tim Horton’s Sustainable Food Management
Fund at the university.
Companies have been launching promotion campaigns
based on hot-button topics such as hormones, steroids, sow gestation crates and
cages for egg layers.
“Consumers inherently trust farmers, but they have no
idea what farmers do on the farm,” he says.
“So, if consumers see a picture or a video of a
certain farming practice that they don’t like, or something like animal abuse,
that becomes their reality.”
Mercy for Animals has gained widespread publicity for
underground videos it has prepared from footage captured by members who get
hired by farmers.
In Canada, that has included the largest dairy located
in British Columbia and global turkey-breeding company Hybrid Turkeys of
Kitchener, Ont.
People are telling researchers such as von Massow and
the rest of the farming industry that they want more information about
agriculture and production practices, but they don’t know where to get it.
It is, in fact, easily available from Farming and Food
Care which posts information and videos of modern farming setups on its
website.
Yet farms.com reports on its website that “a huge
opportunity exists for someone or some group to step forward and fill that
void.”
