DFCPerspectives of western Canadian dairy farmers on the future of farming

摘要

Similar to the situation in many countries, the dairyindustry in Canada is challenged by the need to adaptto changing societal demands. An industry-led initiative(Dairy Farmers of Canada’s proAction Initative,known as proAction) was developed to respond to thischallenge, providing mandatory national standards foron-farm practices. Farmers are more likely to followsuch standards if they are aligned with their valuesand beliefs. The aim of this study was to better understandfarmers’ perspectives on the future of theCanadian dairy industry, with a focus on the role ofmandatory policies such as those related to proAction.Seven focus groups were conducted, with discussionsbased on the principles of appreciative inquiry. Participantswere each asked to write down key wordsthat represent the “must-haves” on dairy farms in 20yr from now. Although participants were encouragedto focus on aspects directly related to animal care, allanswers were accepted. Key words were then used tofacilitate a discussion and elicit ideas on how to achievethese must-haves. Particular focus was on the directionthat participants believed policy should take to meetthese goals. Explorative qualitative analysis was usedfor the written key words, and transcripts of the audiorecordedfocus group discussions were analyzed usingthematic analysis. Examples of farm-specific considerationsthat were raised as future must-haves of animalcare on dairy farms included cow comfort, employeemanagement, responsible health management, and useof advanced thechnologies. Participants agreed thatobjectives can only be achieved through collaborationamong farmers and between farmers and researchers,and they regarded citizen education as a promising approachto align differing expectations of the public andfarmers. Citizen trust in the dairy industry was considereda must-have, and participants believed that oneof the benefits of mandatory policies for animal care istheir potential to increase trust. These results may helpguide the development of new animal care policies andincrease understanding of the perceived legitimacy ofnew policies by dairy farmers.