The changing perspectives of beef consumers

By Arden Wohlers DVM
Extension Veterinarian
University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Education Center

The 1900 census indicated that 80 percent of the beef consumers in the United States lived on farms or in a rural setting. By 1950 nearly 50 percent of the beef consumers lived in urban areas and today 85 percent of our population live away from a farm setting and only 2 percent are actual farmers. In fact 60 percent of our population is 2 generations removed from their rural roots. It is small wonder that pleasing the consumer and producing food in a method that they find acceptable has changed. In the business world adapting to the consumers wants is the ticket to success. The beef industry is a business as much as it is a way of life and it must adapt if it wants to survive. Much of the framework for adaptation is in place or is readily available. The key to the puzzle is to market by telling the story of how animals are actually raised in the modern animal industry. The beef industry is so fragmented that marketing needs to be coordinated through all segments from the seed stock producer to the meat retailer.

The story needs to explain how providing the most optimum conditions for the well being of animals will lead to an economic benefit for the producer and less expensive food for the consumer. As the dynamics of our society changes from rural to urban the social ethics of that society also changes. The methods we use to raise and husband our livestock must change as well, this will show that we operate in harmony with the emerging social ethics and we can continue to satisfy our customer base. Today’s consumer has a need to know where an animal has been raised and how he has been handled in the transportation and harvesting of its meat. That need is going to be the major reason for implementing source verification of beef. Consumers desire to have documentation regarding how an animal is handled from birth to the time of its harvest. This has created a new level of companies with programs to aid the producer with such documentation. Some animal advocates do not think that the animal industries are moving fast enough to enhance the welfare of animals. 40 years ago it was unheard of to have bills introduced in the United States Congress relating to animal welfare. In recent years there are 50 or more bills annually brought forth. State legislatures are seeing their share as well. Beef production is not the only animal industry affected: Zoos have changed from prisons for animals to activity enriched animal enclosures. Rodeos have changed some events so they are less apt to injure an animal and animals used for research must be handled under much stricter guidelines. Beginning surgery classes at veterinary schools do virtual training on a computer.

Many individuals in animal agriculture are becoming concerned as the public increasingly questions the welfare of food animals. Animal use groups feel that consumers several generations removed from the farm have little knowledge or understanding of acceptable industry practices. Tied to traditions that often go back many decades producers believe outside interests are interfering with proven production methods that will be difficult to improve on. Animal use groups nervously watch as well funded national animal rights organizations push legislation at the state level in those states where agriculture support for a minor issue is lacking. This has resulted in laws that have curtailed the swine industry in Florida and Arizona, states that have very small swine industries. Many producers believe that each time these organizations make a small advance in their agenda they gather strength that will unjustifiably damage animal agriculture on a national level in the future. Every industry has individuals that do not measure up, those that use methods that are not acceptable under the Animal Welfare Act and its revisions must be held accountable. Likewise, organizations that are attempting to bring about change must abide by the laws that are available to protect the food safety of our animal products. This protection was enhanced by the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2002.

It is inevitable that livestock production will change as producers continue to evolve towards production methods that are more in line with the social ethics of the time. The animal welfare groups will insist that they brought the change about through their efforts by dragging the producer screaming and kicking into a more acceptable production method. The producer will insist that a better method was found that was scientifically determined to be a more efficient manner of production. No matter who takes the credit, we are on the verge of seeing one of the most significant changes of philosophy on how to produce beef since the birth of our beef industry with the great Texas cattle drives of the 1870’s.

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