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Acceptance of a Sustainability Standard: Evidence from an Empirical Study of Future-Oriented Dairy Farmers

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  • Luhmann, Henrike
  • Schaper, Christian
  • Theuvsen, Ludwig

Abstract

As a major agricultural subsector, milk production plays an important role in the EU 28. Political decisions such as the aboli-tion of the milk quota system in 2015, highly volatile milk prices and fierce international competition have led to challenges for both farmers and dairies and a need to improve competitiveness. The concept of sustainability in the form of a produc-tion standard can be seen as a means for both dairy farmers and dairies to gain competitive advantages and meet stake-holders’ demands. Farmers’ acceptance of a sustainability standard is an important factor for its successful implementation. Therefore, future-oriented farmers are an important target group for dairies. This study investigates future-oriented dairy farmers’ acceptance of a comprehensive sustainability standard and, based on their responses, categorizes farmers into three different clusters: ‘halfhearted sustainability proponents’, ‘highly dedicated sustainability proponents’ and ‘profit-oriented sustainability refusers’. Further analysis provides insights into the determinants of farmers’ acceptance of a sus-tainability standard. The results of this study provide manifold starting points for deriving managerial implications for dair-ies and the implementation of sustainability standards.

Suggested Citation

  • Luhmann, Henrike & Schaper, Christian & Theuvsen, Ludwig, 2016. "Acceptance of a Sustainability Standard: Evidence from an Empirical Study of Future-Oriented Dairy Farmers," 2016 International European Forum (151st EAAE Seminar), February 15-19, 2016, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 244538, International European Forum on System Dynamics and Innovation in Food Networks.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:iefi16:244538
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.244538
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    Cited by:

    1. Gollisch, Simon & Hedderich, Barbara & Theuvsenb, Ludwig, 2018. "Strategic Preferences of Farm Supply and Grain Elevator Businesses: Empirical Evidence from Germany," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 9(1), January.
    2. Veronika Hannus & Johannes Sauer, 2021. "Understanding Farmers’ Intention to Use a Sustainability Standard: The Role of Economic Rewards, Knowledge, and Ease of Use," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-21, September.
    3. Friedrich Rübcke von Veltheim & Heinke Heise, 2021. "German Farmers’ Attitudes on Adopting Autonomous Field Robots: An Empirical Survey," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-19, March.
    4. Hannus, Veronika & Sauer, Johannes, 2021. "It is not only about money —– German farmers' preferences regarding voluntary standards for farm sustainability management," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).

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