Communication with the

Younger Consumers About

Animal Agriculture

Temple Grandin Department of Animal Sciences

Colorado State University

Big Frustration

Many practices on farms and

slaughter plants have improved

Problem – Many young

consumers may not know about

them

Percentage of Beef Plants That Stunned

95% or More Cattle with the First Shot

USDA

survey prior

to industry

wide auditing

McDonald‘sAudits

started

Continued auditing by major

customers

Continuous auditing maintains

good performance.

The BAD OLD days in the

1980’s and 1990’s were

really terrible

Problems at Slaughter Plants

Were Easier to Fix Than

Problems on the Farm

Simple fixes:

Better stunner maintenance

Nonslip floors

Employee training

Minor equipment changes

Young Consumer’s

Severe Lack of Knowledge

50% of young adults in the UK

failed to connect pigs with bacon

(Credit: LEAF, 2012)

Millennials are getting

further and further removed

from agriculture

Over 50% have never

been on a farm

(Credit: Purdue University, 2015)

The Millennial Generation is more

concerned about where their food

comes from

21% social media is primary news

source (credit Shea Bennet,

Infographic, 2013)

30 to 35% read Wall Street Journal

or New York Times (credit

Comscore, 2014)

Younger consumers put more

emphasis on shared values than on

the scientific fact

Factors alone not enough

Center for Food Integrity, 2015

Survey of 798 U.S. Households

on Animal Welfare Issues

Younger women most concerned

Respondents in Midwest reported

less concern than other regions in the

U.S.

McKendra et al., 2014, JAS

Social Media Effects on

Communication

On Social Media, responses are quick and

emotional instead of taking the time to be

thoughtful

Encourages people to stay in their silos

and only communicate with people who

share their values

Generational Differences

in Sources of Information

• Older generation – national trusted news

source

• Younger generation – many different

sources. Voices of extremists on both

sides of an issue are magnified

Who Do They Trust?

Somebody they can relate to with shared

values

A scientist who is a mom is more trusted

than a government scientist

Center for Food Integrity, 2015

Agriculture Must

Become Totally

Transparent

Good Examples of

Transparency

Fair Oaks Farm Pig Adventures

http://fofarms.com/adventures/pig-

adventure

Visiting a farm and talking to a farmer

improves perception

53% of consumers think ranchers and

farmers are trustworthy

Only 17% consider food manufacturers

trustworthy

Sullivan, Higdon and Sullivan, 2013

ShsFoodthink.com

Video Tour of Beef Plant

Featuring Temple Grandin -

YouTube

www.youtube.comwatch?v=VMqyyXsw

ono

This video improved attitudes (Oklahoma State University 2015 survey)

Ag Gag Laws Hurt the

Credibility of Agriculture

Open the Barnyard Doors: Transparency and the Resurgence of Ag Gag and Veggie Label Laws

Nicola Negaweth, Seattle University Law Review, 2015

Many young people have little

understanding of the world of

practical things

Young business majors hired by a

meat company thought they could

email grocers and manage their

accounts totally online

Ohio Survey 2007

Consumer Willing to Pay More

Local 72%

Humane 59%

Organic 51%

Fair Trade 57%

Some Surveys Show Big is Bad

Avian Flu and Porcine

Epidemic Diarrhea

Losses to poultry industry in two

states almost one billion dollars

Total U.S. egg supply dropped 35%

Porcine epidemic diarrhea in 2014 –

Loss 10% to 20% of all piglets

Big is Fragile

Storms

Disease

Deliberate Damage

Photo Credit: globalnews.ca

Trade Offs in Farm

Animal Housing Systems

Big systems are efficient but catastrophic when they fail

Animal Productivity vs. Welfare

Genetic Selection for Productivity vs. Disease Resistance

Efficiency vs. Welfare

Trade Off Examples

Overload a truck and save on freight even if more pigs

die

High percentage of keel bone fractures in modern laying

hens

Reproductive problems in high producing dairy cows

Welfare friendly housing slightly lowered production

Cage Free hen housing poorer air quality but more

natural behavior

Future

Younger consumer’s decisions will be more

based on values

Agricultural industry must become

completely transparent and show

everything

Animal Agriculture will need to change

some of their practices

For More Scientific Information

T. Grandin (2014)

Animal Welfare and Society

Concerns: Finding the Missing

Link, Meat Science, 96:461-469