Innovation Isn’t Enough - Public trust Is Essential

The recent challenges surrounding Bovaer in the UK remind us of a critical lesson: even the most well-researched agricultural innovations can struggle if they fail to gain consumer trust.

Bridging the gap between science and public perception is key to making meaningful progress. This month, Laura Zehr explores what went wrong with Bovaer, the lessons and cautionary tales we can learn from past challenges, and why engaging the public is just as important as the breakthrough itself.

What Are We Reading This Month?

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

In a nutshell: This study explores Australian public attitudes toward sustainability and animal welfare in dairy farming, particularly regarding surplus calf management and cow-calf separation. Researchers conducted focus groups with diverse participants and identified two key themes: views on animal agriculture (including sustainability, farmers, and farming practices) and personal reflections (such as ethical concerns and consumer choices). While opinions on sustainability and animal product consumption varied, many participants recognized farmers' challenges in balancing animal care with economic realities. However, most were unaware of certain dairy industry practices, and once informed, they strongly opposed early-life calf killing and cow-calf separation. The study highlights the need for aligning dairy farming practices with public values to ensure the industry's long-term social sustainability.

Real-World Resources

Farmers learn from farmers in this new podcast series!

Peer-Based Learning to Support Farmers in Improving Animal Care 

Canadian dairy farmers participate in the proAction program, a national on-farm quality assurance program that ensures Canadian dairy farms meet high standards in milk quality, food safety, animal care, traceability, biosecurity, and environmental sustainability. As part of the proAction program, farms receive regular on-farm assessments to establish adherence to program requirements and identify any areas for improvement.

In this podcast series, developed for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness and Dairy Farmers of Ontario, we talk to a group of dairy farmers who had notable improvements over the course of two proAction assessments, and discuss some of the changes they made which contributed to these successes.

This podcast series is part of a broader initiative to support dairy farmers in sharing and learning from the success stories of other farmers, in the pursuit of continual improvement in the industry. We hope you’ll check out the series and listen to the stories of Ontario dairy farmers!