Agriculture and the Environment – Summary
Primary responsibility for ensuring environmentally sustainable agriculture practices
Understanding that everyone has a role to play in ensuring Alberta agricultural practices are environmentally sustainable, when asked to choose who should hold primary responsibility almost half of all Alberta residents (46.3%) chose Alberta farmers. Just as many believe one or the other levels of government should be primarily responsible, with nearly twice as many siding with the provincial government (32.2%) than the federal government (17.0%). Very few Alberta residents (4.5%) believe non-governmental environment groups should be primarily responsible.
Humane treatment of livestock
The vast majority of Alberta residents (91.1%) agree that livestock are treated humanely on Alberta farms. Nearly half strongly agree (49.4%) while a further 41.7% somewhat agree.
Water Use
Most Alberta residents (87.0%) also agree that Alberta livestock producers are using water responsibly. Of those who expressed an opinion, two of five strongly agree (41.1%) while a similar proportion (45.9%) somewhat agree.
Livestock manure recycling
Almost nine of every ten Alberta residents (89.7%) agree that recycling livestock manure by spreading it on crop fields is an environmentally acceptable practice. A clear majority (57.4%) strongly agree while nearly one-third (32.3%) somewhat agree.
Growth hormones
A clear majority of Alberta residents (65.9%) disagree with the practice of using growth hormones in livestock production. Nearly half (44.2%) strongly disagree while slightly more than one in five (21.7%) somewhat disagree.
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Environmentally Sustainable Agriculture.pdf