Joyce Willock

Producers and consumers of organic meat: A focus on attitudes and motivations

Research into organic production is internationally widespread but has rarely focused on producers motivations for adopting organic farming techniques and whether organic consumers share their values. As conventional agricultural prices remain depressed, questions arise surrounding producers motivations towards organic production. For example, are motivations based on economic rather than ethical decisions? Additionally, what motivations underpin consumers organic purchases and are those values shared between producers and consumers? Using postal questionnaires, the attitudes and motivations of both producers and consumers towards organic livestock production, are explored. Future recommendations are made to the industry with regard to the UK market for organically produced meat.

Utilising a farmer typology to understand farmer behaviour towards water quality management: Nitrate Vulnerable Zones in Scotland

Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) are employed as compulsory instruments to meet standards on EU water quality. Farmers operating in NVZs face a number of restrictions on agricultural activity and a greater requirement for record keeping in relation to timing and quantities of nitrogen inputs used. This paper presents results of a survey into the attitudes and values of farmers within the designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) in Scotland. A typology based on perceptions towards water quality management was developed using factor and cluster analysis techniques. Three types were identified as ‘resistors’, ‘apathists’ and ‘multifunctionalists’. The ‘resistors’ and the ‘multifunctionalists’ had similar approaches to land use management, but then diverged in terms of their perceptions towards the environment, water management and the NVZ regulations in particular. The apathists were indifferent towards the aims of the regulation and to water quality management in general. This was also evidenced by their lack of uptake of voluntary measures for improving water quality. The lack of engagement from the ‘apathists’, which represent around a third of the responses to the survey, is particularly problematic for policy makers. There is a need for greater targeting of information to this farmer type emphasising favourable perceptions which encourage water quality management behaviours.

A preliminary study into stress in Welsh farmers

In a preliminary study the factors that cause Mid-Wales farmers most stress were investigated in a convenience sample of farmers attending the Royal Welsh Show. The results showed that government policy, finance and time pressure were the factors that farmers found most stressful. Isolation consistently achieved the lowest rating of the stressors. These results are consistent with other British studies.