“The advice? Think bigger”: Community perspectives on dairy farming, including surplus calves – an Australian focus group study

Citizens are becoming increasingly disconnected from food production. Despite this, many people still hold strong values about how food is produced. The aim of this study was to attain an in-depth understanding of Australian public attitudes towards sustainability and animal welfare in dairy production, as well as early life killing of surplus dairy calves and cow-calf separation; issues commonly identified as being out of step with public values. We conducted three focus group sessions, each with 8 Australians that varied in age, gender identity, income, and frequency of consumption of dairy products. Thematic analysis of the semi-structured discussions resulted in two key themes, each with underlying sub-themes: 1) Animal agriculture as an industry, including sustainability, farmers as people, and farming practices; and 2) Personal impacts and reflections as citizens, including ethical considerations, and consumer behaviors.