Clearly, there are unresolved concerns in the rural community relating to the environmental impacts of agricultural production. We also developed new strategies to get our environmental message out. The theme and message focused on developing a strategy to communicate the current and ongoing responses of Provincial organizations in addressing the environmental impact of hogs. Identify key pork industry issues. Identify key sources of information about pork production.
Water contamination is a concern for the great majority of all respondents in each region.
Fewer respondents express a concern about the odour produced by hog farms, or about soil contamination. Over three-quarters of all respondents agreed that hog farmers are committed to improving the environment on their farms. This high level of agreement was observed in all regions, and among both urban and rural respondents. When people were asked about reliable sources of information, most stated television and farmers were the most credible. To address national concerns, a national multi-media communications campaign should be initiated to increase public support for the hog industry.