Meat Consumers’ Opinion Regarding Unhealthy Pigs: Should They Be Treated with Antibiotics or Euthanized on Farm?

Lemos Teixeira, Dayane and Enriquez-Hidalgo, Daniel and Estay Espinoza, Tamara and Bas, Fernando and Hötzel, Maria José (2021) Meat Consumers’ Opinion Regarding Unhealthy Pigs: Should They Be Treated with Antibiotics or Euthanized on Farm? Antibiotics, 10 (1). p. 60. ISSN 2079-6382

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of meat consumers (n = 1780) on on-farm management of unhealthy pigs, whether support for treatment with antibiotics varies according with chance of recovery, and the effect of knowledge on the use of antibiotics on these opinions. Most participants believed that the use of antibiotics was the best solution for unhealthy pigs, and this was associated with a low level of knowledge about antibiotics. Increasing the probability of recovery after treatment increased support for treating pigs with antibiotics. However, the majority of participants rejected the consumption of meat from animals housed in “hospital pens”. After price, concern with food safety was the second main factor that influenced participants’ choice when buying meat. Support for the use of antibiotics to deal with unhealthy pigs in “hospital pens”, as well as for consumption of the meat from these animals, was higher among participants involved in agriculture. This shows that consumers are unaware of the potential negative repercussions for animal welfare associated with banning or reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock production, which is an important concern for the industry.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: consumer; perception; antibiotic; opinion; pig; welfare; euthanasia
Subjects: STM Repository > Biological Science
Depositing User: Managing Editor
Date Deposited: 02 Jan 2024 13:03
Last Modified: 02 Jan 2024 13:03
URI: http://classical.goforpromo.com/id/eprint/1184

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