Determinants of Sick and Dead Pig Waste Recycling—A Case Study of Hebei, Shandong, and Henan Provinces in China
by
, , ,
Xu Ge
1
,
Apurbo Sarkar
1,
Si Ruishi
2,
Md Ashfikur Rahman
3,
Jony Abdul Azim
4,
Shuxia Zhang
5,* and
Lu Qian
1,* 1
College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
2
School of Public Administration, Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi’an 710018, China
3
Development Studies Discipline, Social Science School, Khulna University, Khulna 751013, Bangladesh
4
School of International Education, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, China
5
College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2022, 12(6), 775; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060775
Submission received: 14 December 2021
/
Revised: 9 March 2022
/
Accepted: 9 March 2022
/
Published: 19 March 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infectious Disease in Animals: Threats to the Global Food Supply)
Simple Summary
Proper handling of dead and sick pig carcasses is a significant concern for farmers, the general public, academia, and government. By drawing on the existing literature, the study selects various determinants of sick and dead pig recycling and evaluates the impacts of rewards and punishment mechanisms on farmers’ commitment to proper handling of dead and sick pigs. We utilized face-to-face discussion accompanied by a structured questionnaire to grasp the opinion of the Chinese pig farmers. The article elucidates the moderating effects of reward and punishment mechanisms, which will be crucial for understanding the on-hand experience of the farmers towards dead and sick pig recycling.
Abstract
Improper handling of sick and dead pigs may seriously affect public health, socio-economic conditions, and eventually cause environmental pollution. However, effective promotion of sick and dead pig (SDP) waste recycling has become the prime focus of current rural governance. Therefore, the study explores the impact of commitment, rewards, and punishments to capture the recycling behavior of farmers’ sick and dead pig waste management. The study employs factor analysis, the probit model, and the moderating effect model to craft the findings. The study’s empirical setup comprises the survey data collected from the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan provinces, representing the major pig-producing provinces in China. The study found that the commitment, reward, and punishment mechanisms are essential factors affecting the farmers’ decision-making on recycling sick and dead pig waste. The marginal effect analysis found that the reward and punishment mechanism is more effective than the farmers’ commitment. The study confirmed that in the recycling treatment of sick and dead pig waste, the farmers’ commitment and the government’s reward and punishment policy are the main factors that influence farmers to manage sick and dead pig waste properly. Therefore, the government should highlight the importance of effective waste management, and training facilities should also be extended firmly. The government should impose strict rules and regulations to restrict the irresponsible dumping of farm waste. Monitoring mechanisms should be put in place promptly.
