WOMEN IN DAIRY Retaining a social licence to operate is a growing issue for dairy farmers who are facing a newfound societal backlash against what they do for a living. Hannah Park reports.
Cow-calf separation a ‘number one’ research area globally
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airy researcher Dr Nina von Keyserlingk, of the University of British Columbia, told the virtual Women in Dairy event that the trust society had for farmers 30-40 years ago to ‘do the right thing’ was being eroded and the result was more legislation for farmers. She said increasing reports in mainstream media surrounding dairy practices, including cow-calf separation and the dairy bull calf issue, were threatening dairy farmers’ social license to practise. When it came to cow-calf separation, Dr von Keyserlingk spoke about research completed alongside colleagues which indicated that when the general public learned about cow-calf separation and early life slaughter, they did not like it. She praised the work around the GB dairy calf strategy and its commitment to eliminating calf euthanasia by 2023, but when it came to cow-calf separation, suggested the dairy industry may not be as prepared. Dr von Keyserlingk said: “We know members of the public are already asking questions about why this practice is done, but the challenge at present is that there is very little science to help guide practice
One-way educational efforts are likely to fail DR NINA VON KEYSERLINGK
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Dr Nina von Keyserlingk
or even to guide the discussion. Lots of people in the dairy industry explain the system of cow-calf separation as the way it has always been, but when you look at the actual science which supports cow-calf separation, there is only a handful of studies which have looked at the acute behavioural effects of separation. Specifically, this research consists of a few studies on vocalisations between cows and calves. “Cow-calf separation is now the number one research area within the dairy welfare topic globally. But there are thousands of questions yet to be answered, specifically around practicalities of implementing this system if it were to be commercially viable.” Rather than educate, Dr von Keyserlingk said engaging with the public and becoming more transparent is where gains were likely to be had. She said: “One-way educational efforts are likely to fail. Many people say all we need to do is educate the public, but we are never going to. “For every one of us, there are thousands of people who have never and will never be on a farm.
“Sustained two-way engagement is where there are gains to be had.” Another study highlighted by Dr von Keyserlingk sought to assess the merits of educating the public, asking whether access to knowledge shifted public perceptions about current dairy cattle care practices. Members of the public involved in the research, carried out in Canada, were surveyed before and after a tour of a 500-head dairy farm. A ‘before’ survey explored perceptions, concerns and values about dairy cattle farming and welfare, in addition to a short knowledge-based quiz on dairy cattle husbandry. An ‘after’ survey explored the extent to which these constructs shifted after the tour. Concerns Dr von Keyserlingk explained that results suggested education and exposure to livestock farming might resolve certain concerns, but other concerns would likely persist, especially when practices conflicted with deeply held values around animal care. She said: “Overall participants
were pleased to see a high level of attention and care for cattle, but they were displeased about cow-calf separation and the lack of outdoor pasture access.” In response to hidden camera investigations, particularly in America and Australia, has been the introduction of so-called ag-gag legislation, which aims to restrict the flow of information coming out of farm facilities. This approach, however, might be counter-productive, said Dr von Keyserlingk, as even the intention to restrict access to information undermined trust among respondents to a 2016 study she was involved in. She said: “We found that most people were unaware of ag-gag laws and that learning about them led to a decrease in trust in farmers and a perception around what farms have to hide came the fore. “We also found evidence that awareness of ag-gag laws negatively impacted perceptions of the current status of farm animal welfare, as well as the perception that farmers do a good job of protecting the environment.”
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