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Article
Publication date: 20 December 2021

Zuzanna Sabina Goluch, Artur Rybarczyk, Arleta Drozd and Radosław Drozd

The objective of this study is to assess whether pro-health herbal probiotics, ascorbic acid and allicin added to the finishing diets of hybrid pig influenced the intramuscular…

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to assess whether pro-health herbal probiotics, ascorbic acid and allicin added to the finishing diets of hybrid pig influenced the intramuscular fat (IMF) content in longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle, the fatty acid profile and lipid quality indices, as it has an impact on human health.

Design/methodology/approach

After 80 days of equal fattening, the pigs were divided into the control group (CT, n = 30 received commercially allowed and applicable antibiotics) and the experimental group (EX, n = 30), which until 95 days of rearing were supplied with fermented herbs extract (FHE Multikraft® Austria) with probiotics Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, L-ascorbic acid and extract of garlic (10% allicin). After slaughter, crude fat content and fatty acid profile were determined in LL muscle samples, and on that basis lipid indices were calculated.

Findings

Supplementation with FHE, probiotics, L-ascorbic acid and allicin has significantly impacted the crude fat content in the meat and the percentage of fatty acids content: tricosanoic (C23:0), heptadecanoid (C17:1 n-7), eicosanic (C22:1 11cis n-9) and eicosatrienoic (C20:3 11cis n-3), in comparison to CT group. Amongst lipid quality indices, IMF in LL of pigs from EX group, the C18:2 n-6/C18:3 n-3 ratio is characterised by a significantly higher value and thus is more beneficial to the health of the consumer.

Originality/value

The authors have indicated that using FHE, probiotic supplements with ascorbic acid and allicin in commercial fattening of pigs, as an alternative for antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), improves the fatty acid profile of the meat.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 124 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 September 2012

Annabell Franz, Ingke Deimel and Achim Spiller

The Federal Government of Germany, as well as the European Commission, are discussing the enhancement of animal welfare requirements. This study aims to explore different groups…

1163

Abstract

Purpose

The Federal Government of Germany, as well as the European Commission, are discussing the enhancement of animal welfare requirements. This study aims to explore different groups of conventional German pig farmers with respect to their understanding of animal welfare. Based on the results, a target group is determined that is willing to take part in an animal welfare programme in accordance with the current state of research, i.e. considering the four “Welfare Quality” principles: good housing, good feeding, good health and especially appropriate behaviour.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 160 German pig farmers between March and May 2010 using an online questionnaire. Data analysis combines two quantitative methods. To reduce complexity and to identify the animal welfare perceptions of the farmers first an explorative factor analysis was conducted. Subsequently, based on the determined factors, the sample was divided into different groups by means of a cluster analysis.

Findings

Three groups of pig farmers were defined with regard to the establishment of an animal welfare programme according to the current state of research. While a broad acceptance of the principles good housing, good feeding and good health exists among the farmers, the appropriate animal behaviour is only important for a small group of pig farmers. Therefore, the three groups should be addressed by the developers of an animal welfare programme, using different strategies to gain the support of all farmers.

Originality/value

To successfully introduce new animal welfare requirements, farmers are important actors to take into account. This paper is the first analysis of the animal welfare perceptions of conventionally producing German pig farmers and determines different groups for a comprehensive animal welfare husbandry system as currently discussed by scientists and politics.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 114 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 27 September 2022

Nina Weingarten and Monika Hartmann

The type of flooring in stalls is an important factor that shapes consumers' overall perception of animal husbandry. Although slatted and straw floors have benefits and drawbacks…

Abstract

Purpose

The type of flooring in stalls is an important factor that shapes consumers' overall perception of animal husbandry. Although slatted and straw floors have benefits and drawbacks, consumers strongly prefer slatted over straw floors in pig husbandry. The present study investigates whether information provision can depolarise consumers' implicit and explicit attitudes towards both floor types to enable a more realistic evaluation of pig husbandry systems. Furthermore, this study examines the effectiveness of information depending on different frames and consumers' personality traits.

Design/methodology/approach

An experimental laboratory study with 185 German consumers was conducted to investigate the effect of information on implicit and explicit attitudes towards different flooring types. Participants received information on straw and slatted floors in a cognitive or affective frame or about a control topic. Furthermore, it was analysed whether certain consumer groups respond differently to the cognitive or affective frame.

Findings

The results demonstrated that information provision is a successful tool for depolarising consumers' implicit and explicit attitudes regarding straw and slatted floors. Although consumers continued to prefer straw floors after receiving information, the magnitude of this preference considerably decreased. Mediation analysis illustrated that implicit and explicit attitudes are highly interconnected. The study found no evidence that the personality traits of consumers moderated the effectiveness of the cognitive or affective frame.

Originality/value

The study proposes that information provision can be a potential avenue for increasing the societal acceptance of conventional methods in pig husbandry and provides recommendations for communicating conditions related to animal husbandry. Furthermore, through the inclusion of an implicit measure, this study overcomes biases of other studies in an agricultural context which usually rely only on explicit measures.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 125 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1972

Thomas Walker

The first published report that hydrocarbons were subject to microbial degradation appears to be that of the Japanese botanist Miyoshi in 1895. He observed that certain alkanes…

Abstract

The first published report that hydrocarbons were subject to microbial degradation appears to be that of the Japanese botanist Miyoshi in 1895. He observed that certain alkanes were attacked by the fungus Botrytis Cinerea. The first reports of microbial oxidation of methane, the simplest alkane, were made about 10 years later by Kaserer (1905), and Sohngen (1905). According to the recent review of Quayle (1967), the ability to utilise hydrocarbons is widespread amongst micro‐organisms. The ability to grow on methane appears to be a more restricted property although Whittenbury, Phillips and Wilkinson (1970) have recently isolated more than 100 strains of methane utilising bacteria.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 72 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

Article
Publication date: 30 October 2007

Karl Bruckmeier and Madeleine Prutzer

The purpose of this paper is to identify the views of Swedish pig producers concerning animal welfare, the schemes practised for animal welfare in Sweden, and the ramifications of…

758

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the views of Swedish pig producers concerning animal welfare, the schemes practised for animal welfare in Sweden, and the ramifications of animal welfare for Swedish retailers and consumers.

Design/methodology/approach

The Swedish study for animal welfare covers a pig‐production sector of 2,794 producers (2005). The pig production study was one of three such studies conducted as part of the EU's Welfare Quality project with semi‐structured interviews (the other two studies were on cattle and poultry production). The stratified sample included 60 pig producers, both conventional and organic, selected from all areas of Sweden.

Findings

The main results show a high level of animal care exercised in the Swedish pig production sector. Although there are no specific animal welfare schemes implemented, there is a high level of animal care provided by farmer participation in quality assurance schemes that include animal welfare stipulations, among other criteria.

Practical implications

The results from this pig production study will serve as input for a subsequent study of the on‐farm practice of animal welfare for the Welfare Quality project and as information material for policy to argue for more compatible criteria of welfare schemes at national level as well as for more homogeneous practice and standards of animal welfare within the EU.

Originality/value

This is the first in‐depth study on animal welfare in Swedish agriculture that takes into account a wide array of views and experiences of both conventional and organic producers. Prior to this animal welfare study only studies with a narrow focus on animal welfare, for example about organic production, and the State Audit Institution's report, which focuses on the effectiveness in animal welfare monitoring, have been produced.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 109 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 October 2007

Svein Ole Borgen and Guro Aadnegard Skarstad

The purpose of this paper is to explore Norwegian pig farmers' motivation for improving animal welfare, and to develop the rudiments of a more general understanding of farmers'…

825

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore Norwegian pig farmers' motivation for improving animal welfare, and to develop the rudiments of a more general understanding of farmers' animal welfare discourses related to motivation for improving animal welfare.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper presents a discourse analysis of qualitative interviews with 60 Norwegian pig farmers. Supplementary sources are governmental policy documents, research reports and statistics.

Findings

The pig farmers' motivation for improving animal welfare is a moral, economic and regulatory question. Their discourse on animal welfare must be interpreted in light of the specific contextual factors, such as public regulation and the market situation of agro‐foods in Norway, which contribute to shaping the farmers' practices.

Research limitations/implications

An implication of the study of interest for policy makers is that many pig producers currently look upon animal welfare as a “competitive‐free” zone. This appreciation impacts their attitudes towards animal welfare schemes and other measures that are intended to improve animal welfare. However, since the farmers' discourse is highly context‐specific, their motivation for entering specialised animal welfare schemes is also expected to change with future changes in the economic, political and regulatory context within which they are embedded.

Originality/value

The paper is a first‐of‐its kind investigation of farmers' conception of animal welfare in Norway. It provides novel insights into the Norwegian pig farmers' definition of animal welfare, and suggests how their motivation can be understood in analytical terms.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 109 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 October 2007

Alberto Menghi

The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitude of pig farmers toward animal welfare in light of the state‐of‐the‐art legislation on animal welfare and production schemes in…

834

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the attitude of pig farmers toward animal welfare in light of the state‐of‐the‐art legislation on animal welfare and production schemes in Italy.

Design/methodology/approach

The general framework regarding pig production, legislation and production schemes will be described by a literature review and personal communications from experts in the field. The results of farmers' attitudes toward animal welfare are based on a survey carried out among pig producers.

Findings

The main findings of the research are related to the survey results among pig producers. The paper presents a short description of the Italian pig sector and the results of the animal welfare legislation and production schemes.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitation of the study is the relatively limited number of survey interviews. For this reason the sample cannot be considered statistically representative of the whole country.

Practical implications

The information collected in this article could represent a useful source for farmers, policy makers, and retailers, as well as consumers interested in animal welfare issues.

Originality/value

This is the first time that pig producers have been asked to express their opinion on animal welfare as defined by the legislation in force and the existing production schemes.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 109 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 March 2013

Philip Leat and Cesar Revoredo‐Giha

The paper examines one of Scotland's major pork supply chains and seeks to identify the key risks and challenges involved in developing a resilient agri‐food supply system…

12018

Abstract

Purpose

The paper examines one of Scotland's major pork supply chains and seeks to identify the key risks and challenges involved in developing a resilient agri‐food supply system, particularly with regard to primary product supply, and to show how risk management and collaboration amongst stakeholders can increase chain resilience.

Design/methodology/approach

The case study involved in‐depth interviews with seven people involved in the chain and its management.

Findings

Reduced supply chain vulnerability to risks arose through horizontal collaboration amongst producers, and vertical collaboration with the processor and retailer. Producers improved market and price security, and pig performance. For the processor and retailer the collaboration generated greater security of supply of an assured quality, improved communication with suppliers, and reduced demand risk as they could assure consumers on quality, animal welfare and product provenance.

Research limitations/implications

The study's findings are based on the analysis of a particular supply chain, but the cooperative concerned currently produces over half of Scotland's weekly pig production.

Practical implications

The findings are highly transferable to other agri‐food supply chains. Producers' successful efforts to deal with different risks and the role of collaboration in enhancing chain resilience are illustrated.

Originality/value

The case is interesting because pigmeat supply profitability has been under constant pressure. It discusses the risks faced by all chain participants and the collective development of a chain which is relatively resilient to variations in price, production and supply.

Details

Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, vol. 18 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-8546

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1899

The information which has hitherto appeared in the daily press as to the evidence laid before the Departmental Committee which is inquiring into the use of preservatives and…

Abstract

The information which has hitherto appeared in the daily press as to the evidence laid before the Departmental Committee which is inquiring into the use of preservatives and colouring matters can hardly have afforded pleasant reading to the apologists for the drugging of foods. It is plainly the intention of the Committee to make a thorough investigation of the whole subject, and the main conclusions which, in the result, must bo forced upon unbiassed persons by an investigation of this character will be tolerably obvious to those who have given serious attention to the subject. At a later stage of the inquiry we shall publish a full account of the evidence submitted and of the Committee's proceedings. At present we may observe that the facts which have been brought forward fully confirm the statements made from time to time upon these matters in the BRITISH FOOD JOURNAL, and amply justify the attitude which we have adopted on the whole question. Representatives of various trade interests have given evidence which has served to show the extent to which the practices now being inquired into are followed. Strong medical evidence, as to the dangers which must attach to the promiscuous and unacknowledged drugging of the public by more or less ignorant persons, has been given; and some medical evidence of that apologetic order to which the public have of late become accustomed, and which we, at any rate, regard as particularly feeble, has also been put forward. Much more will no doubt be said, but those who have borne the heat and burden of the day in forcing these matters upon the attention of the Legislature and of the public can view with satisfaction the result already attained. Full and free investigation must produce its educational effect ; and whatever legal machinery may be devised to put some kind of check upon these most dangerous forms of adulteration, the demand of the public will be for undrugged food, and for a guarantee of sufficient authority to ensure that the demand is met.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 1 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Article
Publication date: 1 August 2016

Daniela Weible, Inken Christoph-Schulz, Petra Salamon and Katrin Zander

The wide divergence of the people’s expectations and agricultural reality results in conflicts between the agricultural sector and the general public. Contemporary animal…

1185

Abstract

Purpose

The wide divergence of the people’s expectations and agricultural reality results in conflicts between the agricultural sector and the general public. Contemporary animal husbandry systems are being increasingly critically addressed by media; however, there is no information about peoples’ perceptions and attitudes concentrating precisely on specific animal husbandry systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore citizens’ perceptions, expectations and main points of criticism in regard to intensive pig production in Germany, and to identify and describe distinct population groups reflecting different attitudes.

Design/methodology/approach

A mixed method approach combining qualitative focus groups with a quantitative online survey has been employed. Focus groups capture a wide variety of opinions and concerns in an exploratory manner. Based on these findings, the quantitative survey (n=1,500 citizens) allowed the identification and characterisation of population groups with identical attitudes regarding pig husbandry.

Findings

Qualitative research uncovered a huge range of criticism on pig husbandry, e.g. lack of space, frequency and prophylactic use of medications as well as a lack of care. A relationship was seen between the lack of space, widespread use of medications and behavioural disorders. Consumer preferences for buying cheap meat were believed to be part of the problem since this behaviour fosters the development of larger farms. Quantitative research confirmed the generally critical perception and identified three population groups. Only one third of the population was really concerned about animal husbandry. Younger people and people with better knowledge of agriculture were stronger opponents of intensive pig husbandry.

Practical implications

Results indicate that increasing people’s knowledge may have an adverse effect on their acceptance of modern farming systems. More communication and better information strategies will probably not improve societal acceptance by itself. Instead, agricultural production systems need to be improved to meet better consumers’ expectations whereas communicating these improvements to consumers and the general public in a well-targeted manner will be required as well.

Originality/value

When considering options for enhancing public acceptance of modern animal husbandry, a combination of different strategies by different stakeholders is needed. The agricultural sector should improve its communication with the general public and rethink its production practices against the background of public expectations. The government and its agencies urgently need to improve monitoring of the compliance of actual production practices with existing laws and to enforce them. Additionally, adjustments of current regulations of animal husbandry in light of public expectations should be considered.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 118 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

Keywords

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