Australian Livestock Export Industry Workers’ Attitudes toward Animal Welfare

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Societal concern for the welfare of animals in the Australian live export industry is substantial, with particular concern shown for animals after they have left Australian shores. The competency of stock handlers is recognized as one of the most important factors affecting the welfare of exported livestock. Therefore, a survey of 265 industry workers was undertaken to gauge their understanding of animal welfare, their attitudes toward welfare in their workplace, and to identify any differences according to their industry role. Surveys were disseminated in six languages to twenty different supply chain locations in Australia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The majority of respondents showed a strong understanding and positive attitude toward animal welfare concepts. Participants generally felt that livestock welfare was important to them and that livestock should be treated with respect. Responses were analyzed according to participants’ role in industry, finding that there was minimal variation in beliefs or attitudes between supply chain roles, and no specific group was found to differ from others consistently. The majority of participants identified ways they had positively impacted livestock welfare in the past and provided suggestions for additional improvements within industry. These findings may be useful for addressing the discordance between societal perceptions and those of industry workers. ABSTRACT: Understanding live export industry workers’ attitudes and beliefs toward animal welfare can provide insight into their decision-making processes and likely behavior. Industry workers (n = 265) with various roles within the supply chain were surveyed from different global regions. Participants were divided into ten categories according to their industry roles and compared using ordinal regression. Respondents were highly likely to have a positive attitude toward animal welfare; the majority of workers enjoyed working with livestock (95.8%) and agreed that livestock should be treated with respect (97.7%). Workers demonstrated a strong understanding of animal welfare concepts, 168 respondents (63.4%) provided examples of ways they had improved animal welfare in their workplace, and 164 workers (61.9%) suggested ways that animal welfare could be improved further. Most workers (95.8%) agreed that animal welfare was satisfactory in their workplace. Five out of the 24 multiple-choice responses differed significantly by the participant’s industry role, but no particular group displayed consistently divergent beliefs or attitudes. Given the community concern regarding animals in the livestock export supply chain, it is imperative to understand the attitudes of industry personnel who are responsible for the daily management of the animals. This knowledge assists in the development of animal welfare policy and can inform strategies to manage public perception.