Browsing by Author "Coetzee, Angela"
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- ItemWhat makes free range chicken “free” : a case study of the free range chicken sector in the Western Cape(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Coetzee, Angela; Kelly, Candice Fiona; Even-Zahav, Etai; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Dominant approaches to livestock production are harmful to the environment, human health and animal welfare, yet global meat consumption is rising. Sustainable alternative production approaches are therefore urgently required, and “free range” is the main alternative for chicken meat offered in South Africa. There are, however, no laws that regulate free range chicken production in South Africa, except for nonbinding guidelines provided by the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), so it is unclear what this alternative entails and if it is consistently practised. The objective of this exploratory qualitative case study was therefore to investigate who and what determines free range chicken in the Western Cape. The case study, conducted from a social constructivist worldview, used semistructured interviews, photographs and document analysis as the data collection methods. 20 interviews were conducted with farmers, chefs, retailers and regulators involved in the free range chicken meat sector in the Western Cape. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, aided by Atlas.ti software for coding, to establish the dominant patterns in the data. The five major themes, selected on prevalence in the case study data and on achieving the research objective, were 1) free range means a bird reared with good animal welfare in mind, 2) free range means quality meat, 3) free range means a profitable business, 4) free range is determined by decision makers or by access to markets, and 5) free range is coupled with concerns about the lack of regulation. Exploring the findings in the context of the literature provided insight into who and what determines when chicken meat is free range in the Western Cape. The research revealed an absence of formal regulation for free range chicken practices in South Africa as well as a lack of independent private certification. From a social constructionist worldview this means that the term ‘free range’ is then socially constructed, thus varied and complex. The case study also shows that whether chicken meat is free range is generally determined by those who have access to markets. Large retailers claimed adherence to the Five Freedoms, a set of principles for animal welfare developed in the United Kingdom, used throughout Europe and included in the SAPA Code of Good Practice, which others in the sector say are too broad to be meaningful. Producers described animal welfare concerns as the main driver for how they practice free range production, that is, providing the birds access to outside space and low stocking densities, yet these interpretations varied. Another driver they listed was a focus on human health, which they achieve mainly through the use of antibiotic-free feed, which resulted in what participants regard as higher quality meat. The producers were also strongly driven by business imperatives, with most stating that free range chicken should carry a higher price than conventionally-reared chicken due to increased production costs. Recommendations borne from this study focus on the need for further research into this nascent sector. It emerged that a need was to understand consumers’ perspectives on what free range chicken production should and should not entail, given that those in the sector claim it had been developed to meet consumer demand. Free range farming was also labelled an improved animal welfare practice, though these views varied, and so it also became apparent that further research would be needed regarding animal welfare in chicken production. Another notable recommendation was that conducting research such as life cycle assessment (LCA) studies would prove valuable in establishing the true sustainability of free range production as an alternative production process. All these recommendations would assist in improving the efficiency of free range production and developing regulation practices, which is currently lacking, to protect the environment, the producers and the consumers.