Consumer Priorities and Producer Practices in Tasmania’s Red Meat Sector: An Exploratory Analysis of Two Independent Surveys

Abstract

Red meat sustainability debates encompass consumer expectations and producer management decisions, yet regional evidence considering both perspectives remains limited. We analysed two independently designed Tasmanian surveys: a 2021 non-probability consumer survey (n = 1176) and a 2022 exploratory producer survey (n = 34). Descriptive analyses characterised consumption, sourcing priorities and producers’ reported past and intended adaptation and mitigation practices; a post hoc thematic comparison identified potential correspondences rather than direct agreement. Among consumer respondents, 65% reported consuming all three product categories (red meat, dairy and seafood), and 60% agreed that they ate less red meat than they did five years earlier. Consumer respondents assigned high importance to fair payment to farmers, Tasmanian origin, animal health and welfare, and environmentally responsible production. The practices most frequently reported by producer respondents were adjusting seasonal stocking rates, increasing the extent of deeper-rooted legumes and planting trees, and most respondents intended to continue or adopt each of these. The datasets suggest possible thematic correspondences between these priorities and practices but do not demonstrate shared motivations, producer responsiveness to consumer demand or population-wide patterns. Because the surveys used different instruments and constructs, and because both samples constrain generalisability, the findings should be interpreted as an exploratory regional case study. Aligned surveys with larger, representative samples are needed to test whether these apparent correspondences translate into purchasing or farm-management outcomes.