Stop saying 'we need to educate the consumer', beef producers told

Yet close to half of those same people say they eat meat.

Confused?

According to leading Australian research consultancy Pollinate, known for its work in understanding consumer attitudes towards the environment, it comes down to the concept of fluidity of identity.

Most people believe one can be a vegetarian and still eat meat and that's not surprising really when you consider no one really knows what a vegetarian is, or what meat is for that matter.

Pollinate chief executive officer Howard Parry-Husbands gave a fascinating presentation at the recent Zanda McDonald Impact Summit in Brisbane which had some massive 'light bulb moment' messages for the livestock industry.

When a consumer says they are vegetarian but they eat meat they're not lying, he said.

"It's how they interpret things.

"Think about it: If I only eat meat occasionally, am I mostly vegetarian? If I eat fish or chicken but not red meat am I vegetarian? If I adhere to meat-free Mondays am I vegetarian? If I eat prawns and oysters am I vegetarian?

"And what is meat anyway? The Impossible Burger looks and tastes like meat, so why isn't it meat?

"Consumers are faced with this paradox."

So in a nutshell, being a meat eater and being vegetarian mean different things to different people, at different times.

It's just not simple and that is at the core of the challenge the beef industry faces in its attempts to understand the consumer and meet their needs around sustainability and animal welfare, Mr Parry-Husbands said.

The big mistakes producers are making is feeling under attack by vegetarians and insisting 'we just need to educate people', he said.

There are a hundred reasons people give for becoming vegetarian - saving the animals, the planet, their health, the rainforests, water, even world peace - but ultimately a person only needs one to make the decision.

"Once you become vegetarian you stack the other 99 on top," Mr Parry-Husbands said.

"But the thing is, none are anchored in a hatred for meat or farmers.

"It's consumer guilt that is our real issue."

ALSO FROM THE SUMMIT:

Pollinate research shows 38pc of Australian consumers 'just want to not feel guilty about being unsustainable'.

"This is about consumers wanting to do the right thing, not about farmers doing the wrong thing," Mr Parry-Husbands said.

"The consumer doesn't blame the farmer. In fact, they genuinely love and trust farmers.

"They just want to feel they are not contributing to unsustainability."

Consumers can not be 'educated' out of feeling guilt, he said.

"That is a complete total waste of time and effort, please stop saying that now," Mr Parry-Husbands said.

"There is no way you can educate the consumer on beef production processes or on CN30.

"They don't care, they're not listening, they're too tired, they have other things to do.

"They don't have a knowledge deficit; they have a complexity dynamic."

Instead, the answer lies in reframing the challenge.

"We need to move from 'how do we solve the beef sustainability/animal welfare issue' to 'how do we allow Australians to stop feeling guilty about buying beef'," Mr Parry-Husbands said.