Animal welfare emerging as critical issue for animal agriculture

By Jane Morrigan, M.Sc., P.Ag.

“Animal welfare is no longer considered a sentimental issue” was a common view expressed by international speakers at the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC)’s “Farm Animal Care and Welfare” conference held in Ottawa recently.

John Webster of Bristol University, advised organic producers to promote and live up to their high standards of animal welfare. He, along with virtually every speaker referred to the importance of continuing research in animal welfare. He reported on research completed recently by the EU’s “Welfare Quality Project”. Surprisingly to some in the audience, RSPCA-certified dairy herds do not provide better welfare than conventional herds. Other studies concluded that perches are necessary for laying hens, and lameness in dairy cows occurs at a higher rate even than in battery-caged laying hens. Dr. Webster delivered a spirited, fast-paced and informative session, emphasizing that all animals are sentient beings with an innate capacity to suffer. He is also passionate that in order to improve animal welfare, farmers must be rewarded by society.

Current trends in Europe were outlined by Cornelius Rhein, - Animal Welfare Legislative Officer, European Commission. He said that according to a recent “Eurobarometer” survey, 43% of Europeans think about animal welfare when purchasing animal products, 51% believe that “animal-friendly” labeling is an indication of healthier food. European initiatives of late include banning the trade of dog and cat fur, and setting a maximum stocking density of 30 kg per square meter for live broiler chickens.

Dairy farmer, Jean-Marc Bèche explained that since the BSE crisis in France in the 1990’s, the French dairy industry has been intent on recouping the confidence of consumers. M. Bèche presented promotional videos that feature average French dairy farmers talking about and interacting with their animals. The general perception by the French public is that management plays a big role in farm animal welfare, and therefore “conditionality” is in the mindset of consumers who are subsidizing animal welfare through their taxes.

As for developments in Canada, for the time being the NFACC has replaced the defunct Canadian Agricultural Research Council (CARC) Expert Committee on Farm Animal Welfare, that was previously responsible for the Voluntary Codes of Practice for livestock production in Canada. A new updated Code of Practice for Dairy Cattle will be undertaken with the support of Dairy Farmers of Canada, and it is hoped that others will follow during the next few years.

Dr. Terry Church, Chair, Alberta Farm Animal Care Association (AFAC) spoke about the impressive work of 4 existing Farm Animal Care Councils across the country. Alberta FAC, for example offers training for farmers and truckers in emergency procedures, on-farm euthanasia, and a decision tree on whether to ship a marginal animal. Their latest program is called “Putting animal welfare on the agenda”, and Dr. Church said the AFAC is interested in funding research and working with farmers, truckers, packing plants and veterinarians alike.

On-farm verification of compliance with animal welfare standards was a big issue at the conference. Shelagh MacDonald, Program Director, Canadian Federation of Humane Societies believes that mandatory auditing will be a “good use of public funds”, while Catherine Scovil with the Canadian Pork Council believes that voluntary, industry-led quality assurance programs will work the best.

McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada was represented by Terry Williams, who said to the assembly, “Your concerns about animal welfare are our concerns”. He traced McDonald’s progress in leading the way for other retailers in establishing strict animal welfare conditions for their suppliers, whether for beef, pork or poultry. Recent changes include a ban on the use of antibiotics as growth promotants in broiler chickens, and the company is working to phase in group housing for sows to replace gestation stalls.

There were many more speakers at the conference who brought different perspectives and insights to the complex issue of what specific steps Canada should take in the coming days to improve farm animal welfare. More information and copies of presentations made at the NFACC conference are available online at http://www.nfacc.ca/News-Item.aspx?id=5

Jane Morrigan, M.Sc., P.Ag., is Website Co-ordinator for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC), and a former milk producer in Nova Scotia. She also teaches Animal Welfare at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College (NSAC), and welcomes your comments or questions at jmorrigan@nsac.ca or 902-893-7256.

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Posted November 2007