Animal Welfare and Environmental Stewardship Decision-Making Among U.S. Animal Producers: a Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Animal agriculture remains an integral part of the U.S. food supply; as demand for animal products grows, it is essential to explore avenues for sustainable animal production across societal, environmental, and economic domains. Using Q-methodology and qualitative methods, this study examined the drivers and tradeoffs of priorities regarding animal wellbeing and environmental stewardship among 35 U.S. beef, pork, and broiler producers. The study found that each producer operated under a unique context of influences; key drivers of decision-making included personal, operational viability, consumer, and regulatory. Operational viability and personal drivers influenced tradeoffs to sustainability, however, some producers maximized multiple domains of sustainability by capitalizing on synergistic relationships between priorities. This study captures the subjective experiences of beef, pork, and broiler producers, highlighting the complexity of drivers and tradeoffs within and between domains of sustainability, predicts increased challenges to sustainability as demand for livestock products grows and offers potential leverage points among producers for effective policy interventions.