As part of the five-year research programme ‘Boars Heading for 2018’ a lot of studies were conducted among consumers. The latter were, among other things, asked what their opinion was on castrating pigs and boar taint. Castration elicited negative emotions from almost all the consumers queried. Substantively speaking though, consumers however proved not to or to scarcely have (correct) information available to them. The same pattern was evident when it came to boar taint. Some respondents were unfamiliar with the phenomenon, others had heard of it and yet others had experience with it in the (distant) past. Only very few consumers were aware that pigs are castrated to prevent boar taint. They supposed other reasons.
If you ask questions about ‘Stop Castration’ you receive a variety of responses. Consumers are influenced by all the communication aimed at them. From calls for increased animal welfare to information about a product’s quality and from images on TV and reports in the newspapers to personal experience in the kitchen. In general, consumers prove to almost never spontaneously detect boar taint and that not castrating pigs receives consumer approval and appreciation.
Detailed information can be obtained straight from the researcher in question. For the (English-language) research report and contact details click here.