Half the respondents saw cattle farmers as responsible for reducing the impact of livestock
When it comes to climate change, consumers view agriculture as a part of the solution rather than the problem. Among participants in Cargill’s recent global Feed4Thought survey, those who indicated climate change as important to them also rated livestock and agriculture lowest in negative impact compared with other industries generally regarded as significant contributors. More than one-third of respondents expressed confidence in the industry’s ability to limit its contributions to climate change.
Cargill’s Feed4Thought survey included responses from 2,510 consumers representing the US, France, South Korea, and Brazil. From among all participants, transportation and deforestation were ranked as the greatest contributors to climate change. According to consumers surveyed, who’s most responsible for accelerating change? 59 per cent said that federal and national governments bear the highest responsibility for addressing climate change, while 57 per cent saw companies involved in beef production and 50 per cent saw cattle farmers as responsible for reducing the impact of livestock.
Today, about 14.5 per cent of global human-originated emissions can be attributed to agriculture and approximately 3 per cent of US emissions are attributed to methane emitted as a result of enteric fermentation – a natural part of the digestive process in ruminant animals.
The Feed4Thought findings also show that, when asked about the most important factors considered at the point of purchase, consumers ranked taste, avoidance of antibiotics/growth hormones/steroids use, and knowing where products come from highest.
