True cowmen and commercial farmers: exploring vets’ and dairy farmers’ contrasting views of ‘good farming’ in relation to biosecurity

Shortall, Orla; Sutherland, Lee-Ann; Ruston, Annmarie; Kaler, Jasmeet

Abstract

Responsibility for biosecurity in UK farming is being devolved from government to industry, with a greater emphasis on the veterinarian (vet)-farmer relationship. Although social science has shown that care for animals is part of ‘good farming’, the British dairy sector sees a need to improve biosecurity. This research uses the good farmer concept to compare how vets and dairy farmers define good farming for biosecurity based on qualitative interviews with 28 vets and 15 dairy farmers in England. The results revealed two conflicting ‘good farmer’ identities: the large, commercial farmer who has the economic capital to invest in biosecurity and veterinary services; and the self-sufficient stock keeper whose cultural and social capital lead them to manage herd health independently. These identities reflect changing ‘rules of the game’, following Bourdieu's use of the term, and increasing penetration of vets’ cultural capital into the sector. They involve different constructions of risk which need to be recognised within debates about good biosecurity.

Citation

Shortall, O., Sutherland, L.-A., Ruston, A., & Kaler, J. (in press). True cowmen and commercial farmers: exploring vets’ and dairy farmers’ contrasting views of ‘good farming’ in relation to biosecurity. Sociologia Ruralis, https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12205

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 25, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Jan 22, 2018
• Deposit Date: Feb 9, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 23, 2020
• Journal: Sociologia Ruralis
• Print ISSN: 0038-0199
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9523
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12205
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/906508
• Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soru.12205/abstract
• Additional Information: This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: Shortall, O., Sutherland, L.-A., Ruston, A. and Kaler, J. (2018), True Cowmen and Commercial Farmers: Exploring Vets’ and Dairy Farmers’ Contrasting Views of ‘Good Farming’ in Relation to Biosecurity. Sociologia Ruralis. doi:10.1111/soru.12205, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/soru.12205/abstract. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.
• Contract Date: Feb 9, 2018