European consumers recognize the added value of mountain dairy production
and relate it to a composite of positive attributes. However, while consumers’ understanding of
conventional dairy production and animal welfare has already been investigated, how consumers
perceive animal welfare in traditional mountain dairy farming remains unexplored. This qualitative
study aims at shedding light on consumers’ perceptions regarding animal welfare in mountain dairy
cheese production systems. Focus group interviews were carried out with three major consumer
groups that purchase mountain cheese including rural consumers living in mountain villages,
urban consumers living in the plains, and urban consumers living in mountain cities. The results of
this study show that all participants expect mountain farming to be on a smaller scale and mountain
products to be healthier when compared to non-mountain farming systems. However, the verbal
appreciation of certain husbandry and management choices especially in the case of urban consumers
did not result in their recognition when pictures of traditional husbandry systems were provided,
which displays a disconnection between the expectations towards mountain production systems and
reality. These findings will support the development of a transparent science-based dialogue among
mountain dairy chain actors on animal welfare and sustainable farming practices in mountain areas.
