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Article History

Received: 12 May 2025

Accepted: 11 February 2026

First Online: 23 February 2026

Competing interests

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study constituted non-interventional social science research involving questionnaire-based data collection on household livestock production. It did not involve medical procedures, the collection of biological samples, or the processing of personally identifiable or sensitive personal information, and posed no psychological or physical risk to participants. In accordance with Article 32 of the Measures for the Ethical Review of Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans ( , issued jointly by the National Health Commission, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, and National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China, February 2023), such research is eligible for exemption from ethics committee approval. The study was conducted in full accordance with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2023).

: Prior to conducting questionnaire (August 2022, 2023), all participants were clearly informed of the study’s purpose, the voluntary nature of participation, their right to refuse to answer any question, and their right to withdraw at any time without consequence. Participants were also informed that their responses would remain anonymous and would be used solely for academic research purposes. Oral informed consent was obtained from all participants before interviews were conducted. Interviews were conducted only after participants agreed to take part. No personally identifiable information is reported in this study.