Autonomy under contract: the case of traditional free-range poultry farmers

This article explores the autonomy developed by free-range poultry farmers in their daily work. In this type of livestock production, farmers are linked by a contract to a farmer organization, to which they sell their broilers in exchange for a payment resembling a salary. The farmers do have autonomy in their work, which is framed by a set of prescriptions and rules. As they experience the same constraints, farmers involved in the same production mode develop a collective identity. Relationships of confidence progressively develop between the farmers and their technical staff (veterinary practitioners and production technicians). These good relationships strengthen the collective identity while also enabling the collective work between the three professionals. Veterinary practitioners and production technicians consecutively share some of the constraints and transfer part of their decision-making to the farmers. The latter thereby acquire more autonomy, even in fields apparently out of their reach. We illustrate the latter idea with the example of antimicrobial use. We observe that while strictly supervised by veterinary practitioners, farmers nevertheless manage to get involved in the decision underlying the prescription of antimicrobials.