Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture

Data from our 2018 Lethbridge Study indicates that on most issues, Lethbridge residents agree that Alberta farmers are engaging in environmentally sustainable and humane livestock production practices and that farmers should be primarily responsible for ensuring the environmentally sustainability of Alberta agriculture. Residents do, however, have concerns about the use of growth hormones in livestock production.

• When asked to choose who should be primarily responsible for ensuring environmentally sustainable agriculture practices, almost half of all Lethbridge residents chose Alberta farmers. Nearly as many believe one or the other levels of government should be primarily responsible, with more than twice as many siding with the provincial government than the federal government. Very few Lethbridge residents believe non-governmental environment groups should be primarily responsible.
• The vast majority of Lethbridge residents agree that livestock are treated humanely on Alberta farms.
• Most Lethbridge residents also agree that Alberta livestock producers are using water responsibly.
• Almost nine of every ten Lethbridge residents agree that recycling livestock manure by spreading it on crop fields is an acceptable practice.
• A clear majority of Lethbridge residents disagree with the practice of using growth hormones in livestock production. 

Download to view all the summary data.