Ambitious targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture have been set by both national governments and their respective livestock sectors. We hypothesize that farmer self-identity influences their assessment of climate change and their willingness to implement measures which address the issue. Perceptions of climate change were determined from 286 beef/sheep farmers and evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). The analysis elicits two components which evaluate identity (productivism and environmental responsibility), and two components which evaluate behavioral capacity to adopt mitigation and adaptation measures (awareness and risk perception). Subsequent Cluster Analyses reveal four farmer types based on the PCA scores. ‘The Productivist’ and ‘The Countryside Steward’ portray low levels of awareness of climate change, but differ in their motivation to adopt pro-environmental behavior. Conversely, both ‘The Environmentalist’ and ‘The Dejected’ score higher in their awareness of the issue. In addition, ‘The Dejected’ holds a high sense of perceived risk; however, their awareness is not conflated with an explicit understanding of agricultural GHG sources. With the exception of ‘The Environmentalist’, there is an evident disconnect between perceptions of agricultural emission sources and their contribution towards GHG emissions amongst all types. If such linkages are not conceptualized, it is unlikely that behavioral capacities will be realized. Effective communication channels which encourage action should target farmers based on the groupings depicted. Therefore, understanding farmer types through the constructs used in this study can facilitate effective and tailored policy development and implementation.

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Farmers’ perceptions of climate change: identifying types

Assessment of animal welfare through behavioural parameters in Iberian pigs in intensive and extensive conditions

A within farm clinical trial to compare two treatments (parenteral antibacterials and hoof trimming) for sheep lame with footrot

Naming and recognition of six foot lesions of sheep using written and pictorial information : A study of 809 English sheep farmers

A brief summary of the currently accepted aetiology and pathogenesis of footrot and interdigital dermatitis in sheep in Great Britain is presented together with a description of the transmission dynamics of Dichelobacter nodosus Approaches that may be successful for control or elimination of the disease are proposed and areas of uncertainty in current knowledge highlighted Research and practice in Great Britain is compared with that from other countries and the proposal made that the environment and/or carrier (non-diseased) sheep may assist persistence of footrot

Assessment of current knowledge of footrot in sheep with particular reference to Dichelobacter nodosus and implications for elimination or control strategies for sheep in Great Britain.

The perception of the welfare of sheep in extensive systems

Characterisation of farmers' responses to policy reforms in Scottish hill farming areas

Future of the hills of Scotland: Stakeholders' preferences for policy priorities

Data from each of 5 commercial, extensive sheep farms in Cumbria, UK were used as parameters in a linear program (LP) representing labour and grazing management in such farming systems. The LP maximised ewe enterprise gross margin subject to constraints dictated by the labour availability and land types on each farm. Under the assumptions used, labour availability and price restricted ewe numbers well below those observed in practice on 2 farms i.e. land resources were adequate for the farming system practiced. On two other farms stocking levels and hence returns were limited by the availability of forage and hence feed input prices relative to output. On one farm, greater grassland productivity was the key determinant of system performance. It was concluded that a holistic systems approach was needed to properly evaluate these farming systems in terms of their potential contribution to animal welfare, land use, profit and hence their sustainability

Evaluating extensive sheep farming systems

(2006). Sustainable hill and upland systems: what do people want the hills to deliver? International Journal of Biodiversity Science & Management: Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 242-244.

Tony Waterhouse

Papers

The perception of the welfare of sheep in extensive systems

Characterisation of farmers' responses to policy reforms in Scottish hill farming areas

Future of the hills of Scotland: Stakeholders' preferences for policy priorities

Evaluating extensive sheep farming systems

Sustainable hill and upland systems: what do people want the hills to deliver?