”Näin maitoa tehdään.” Monilajinen työ ja eläinten hyvinvointi sosiaalisen median keskusteluissa maidontuotannosta

Abstract

Dairy production has long been considered the cornerstone of Finnish agriculture and the most important production sector. Milk production has affected not only the physical features of the rural environment, but also the image of the countryside in many ways. Currently, however, dairy production, as food production in general, faces numerous challenges. Many dairy farms are facing economic difficulties as producer prices fall and production costs increase. Moreover, there is growing criticism of the production of animal-based food and the treatment of farm animals, and many farmers also feel they are being blamed in the public discussion as producers of climate emissions. In order to make their own voice and viewpoints heard, dairy farmers have set up social media accounts to tell about their work and everyday life from their own perspectives. In this review, I examine this phenomenon by backgrounding it with previous research literature and mapping the social media field of dairy farmers in Finland (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram). The purpose is to lay foundation for a broader study of how dairy production in Finland is currently discussed in public, and how constructive features could be found in the debates that often escalate into confrontation. International research on the topic has identified farmers' efforts to pass on information directly to consumers, making them also vulnerable to criticism of their livelihoods and practices on social media. The controversy surrounding animal production is often built around animal welfare issues. Confrontation between the views represented by animal rights organisations and animal producers is also visible in Finnish social media. Dairy farmers react to the public debate about animal production and strive to make their work more familiar and understandable to consumers.