Acceptance of Calf Rearing Systems among Citizens and Dairy Farmers: The Roles of Perceived Calf Emotions and Need Fulfillment
Description
Public criticism of farm animal welfare increasingly targets early cow–calf separation and individual calf housing, mainly over presumed negative emotional consequences for the calf. Yet improving calf welfare requires socially accepted systems that are also practically feasible for farmers. We provide the first joint comparison of citizens' and dairy farmers' acceptance of calf-rearing systems, additionally examining whether perceived calf emotions and need fulfilment predict social acceptance. An online survey of 1,040 German citizens and 119 dairy farmers assessed four systems (individual housing, early group housing, foster cow system, dam rearing). Respondents rated calves' perceived emotional capacity, emotional experiences, need fulfilment, and acceptance; regression identified predictors of social acceptance. Both groups attributed broad emotional capacities to cows. However, farmers assigned low importance to mother–calf bonding, prioritising nutrition, whereas citizens ranked bonding highest and strongly accepted cow–calf contact systems. Social acceptance rested primarily on perceived need fulfilment, like freedom of movement and nutrition, not on emotional attributions. While farmers rejected cow–calf contact systems, individual housing was no longer preferred; early group housing was most accepted, suggesting a dissonance between recognising negative calf emotions in individual housing and the practical constraints of cow–calf contact. Thus, recognising animals' emotional capacities does not in itself translate into support for welfare-friendly systems; visible, communicable fulfilment of calf needs matters more. Early group housing emerges as a feasible, stepwise route towards higher calf-welfare standards that aligns farming realities with societal expectations, offering practical guidance for advisory services and policy in Germany. In total, 1,051 citizens, 119 dairy farmers and 96 farmers with other main farm enterprises (not included in this study) completed the survey. Of these, 11 citizens and 1 one of the farmers with other main farm enterprises were excluded from the analyses due to straight-lining response patterns, or because they completed the questionnaire in less than 30% of the median completion time of 17 minutes 30 seconds. The final sample comprised 1040 valid cases of citizens and 119 valid cases of dairy farmers for statistical analysis. Raw data including cleansing syntax can be requested.