Perception of the Scientist and Student’s regarding Factory Farming

Abstract

One of the important issues concerning the veterinarians and welfare activists are factory farming. The demand of high efficiency in animal production has been achieved with confined production systems. However, these are believed to be compromising welfare thus giving rise to moral and ethical dilemmas especially among veterinarians. Given the lack of understanding about this issue, a study was conducted in Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, Haryana to ascertain the perception of scientists and students about factory farming. The sample constituted randomly chosen scientists and students. The perception was conceptualized as positive or negative inclination towards acceptance of factory farming and was assessed using a questionnaire. The average score of respondents indicated neutral opinion about factory farming with scientists having far more acceptance than students. Veterinary education seemingly contributes significantly in shaping the perception towards factory farming. It is further argued that the respondent’s opinion does not vary greatly indicating the influence of cultural and traditional values. Further research to understand the factors underlying perception is suggested.