Heads Up.

This is from the ABC Rural website and is very concerning when it comes to animal well being and slow food - the last few lines speakj volumes about peoples ability to adapt and change. More about this tomorrow.


Study finds little awareness of factory farming

Tuesday, 21/07/2009
Preliminary findings from a study to be released next month on attitudes towards farm animals and factory farming have surprised researchers.
Forty-eight people from both regional and metropolitan Australia were involved in surveys and focus groups as part of the RMIT University study.
Research fellow Dr Iris Bergmann, from the University's Global Cities Research Institute, says it didn't expect the extent of the lack of public awareness about factory farming.
"One of the most amazing findings was the little knowledge that there is amongst the general population about what actually happens to farm animals in factory farm situations, as to the welfare of farm animals," she says.
"But also the impacts, the complexity of the impacts of factory farming, is little known."
Dr Bergmann says the study was designed to intially find a broad range of views, but researchers plan to develop a large-scale survey that establishes data for the general population.
She says the two farmers who participated in the study did not oppose factory farming.
"In this case, the two farmers would not consider free-range situations," Dr Bergmann says.
"They thought factory farming situations for animals were the best for the environment, and in particularly for the economy and to run a sustainable business.
"One farmer specifically said he believes animals are bred for that purpose."