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Open Access CC BY V4.0
Journal article
Waste not, want not: Value chain stakeholder attitudes to surplus dairy calf management in Australia
Animal welfare, Vol.33, e10
2024
PMID: 38510422
Abstract
The management of surplus dairy calves in Australia has traditionally been influenced by the economic viability of different practices. When beef prices are favourable, more surplus calves are raised for beef, and when beef prices are low, more calves are killed in the first few days of life. Early life killing of surplus calves may however threaten the dairy industry's social licence to operate. The aim of this study was to describe the views of value chain stakeholders regarding the management of surplus calves. Representatives from seven post-farm gate organisations participated in semi-structured interviews and were asked about their views on current practices, alternatives to early life killing and how best to implement change. Responses were analysed using inductive thematic analysis and were organised into three themes: (1) ethics of surplus calf management; (2) economics of surplus calf management; and (3) moving towards solutions including approaches to affecting change. We conclude that stakeholders widely recognised early life killing of surplus calves as a threat to the industry's social licence. Whilst technical solutions such as beef on dairy breeding programmes were cited as important, participants emphasised that implementing sustainable solutions will require collaboration, leadership, and commitment by all stakeholders along the value chain.
Details
- Title
- Waste not, want not: Value chain stakeholder attitudes to surplus dairy calf management in Australia
- Authors/Creators
- Sarah Bolton - University of British ColumbiaBianca Vandresen - University of British ColumbiaMarina A. G. von Keyserlingk - University of British Columbia
- Publication Details
- Animal welfare, Vol.33, e10
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare
- Number of pages
- 10
- Identifiers
- 991005913218707891
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2024
- Murdoch Affiliation
- School of Veterinary Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: SDGs in the Output
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InCites Highlights
These are selected metrics from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool, related to this output
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.51 Dairy & Animal Sciences
- 3.51.799 Farm Animal Welfare
- Web Of Science research areas
- Veterinary Sciences
- Zoology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science