Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T09:07:42.986Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Farm openings and their impacts on the attitudes of the visitors towards intensive egg and poultry meat production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 December 2016

D. HEIJNE  and
H.-W. WINDHORST
D. HEIJNE*
Affiliation:
Wissenschafts- und Informationszentrum Nachhaltige Geflügelwirtschaft (WING), Universität Vechta, Driverstrasse 22, 49377 Vechta, Germany
H.-W. WINDHORST
Affiliation:
Wissenschafts- und Informationszentrum Nachhaltige Geflügelwirtschaft (WING), Universität Vechta, Driverstrasse 22, 49377 Vechta, Germany
*
Corresponding author: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

The growing scepticism of the public towards intensive poultry production provided the background to a joint project of the University of Vechta and the Poultry Association of Lower Saxony in 2012. The main goal of the transparency project was to provide a realistic impression on modern, market-oriented poultry production on family farms by opening poultry houses to the public. From 2012 until 2015, 36 farms in Lower Saxony opened their doors and 9,000 visitors made use of the possibility to visit layer, broiler and turkey farms. The visitors were interviewed prior to the farm visit and after they had left the poultry houses. 2,922 questionnaires of persons older than 18 years and without a former knowledge about intensive poultry production were evaluated. The results presented in this paper show that farm openings changed the attitude of the visitors considerably and that they were less sceptical towards intensive poultry husbandry than prior to their visit. The project will be continued until 2019.

Keywords

laying hensbroilersturkeysconsumerstransparency
Type
Reviews
Information
World's Poultry Science Journal , Volume 73 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 105 - 120
Copyright
Copyright © World's Poultry Science Association 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

BECK, M.M. (2014) MEG-Marktbilanz Eier und Geflügel 2014. Bonn.Google Scholar
EUROPEAN COMMISSION (2016) Attitudes of Europeans towards Animal Welfare. Special Eurobarometer, Vol. 442. http://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2096_84_4_442_ENG. Accessed: 20/07/2016).Google Scholar
FREWER, L.J., KOLE, A., VAN DE KROON, S.M.A. and DE LAUWERE, C. (2005) Consumer attitudes towards the development of animal-friendly husbandry systems. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 18: 345-367.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
KLOHN, W. and VOTH, A. (2008) Das Oldenburger Münsterland. Entwicklungen und Strukturen einer Agrar-Kompetenzregion. Vechtaer Studien zur Angewandten Geographie und Regionalwissenschaft, Vechta.Google Scholar
MARIA, G.A. (2006) Public perception of farm animal welfare in Spain. Livestock Science 103: 250-256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SWINNEN, J., MCCLUSKEY, J. and FRANCKEN, N. (2005) Food safety, the media and the information market. Agricultural Economics 32: 175-188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VANHONACKER, F., VERBEKE, W., VAN POUCKE, E. and TUYTTENS, F.A.M. (2008) Do citizens and farmers interpret the concept of farm animal welfare differently? Livestock Science 116: 126-136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
VERBEKE, W. (2005) Agriculture and the food industry in the information age. European Review of Agricultural Economics 32: 347-368.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
WINDHORST, H.-W. (1975) Spezialisierte Agrarwirtschaft in Südoldenburg. Eine agrargeographische Untersuchung. Nordwestniedersächsische Regionalforschungen Vol. 2, (Leer, Verlag Schuster).Google Scholar
WINDHORST, H.-W. (2004) Das Oldenburger Münsterland - Silicon Valley der Agrartechnologie, in: HAAS, H.-D., HESS, M., KLOHN, W. & WINDHORST, H.-W. (Eds) Leibniz-Institut für Länderkunde, Nationalatlas Bundesrepublik Deutschland: Unternehmen und Märkte, Vol. 8, pp. 100-101.Google Scholar