 Livestock industry tackles new era in animal welfare More
Mapping technology drives new knowledge of wildlife habitat More
Archives 
|
|
Livestock industry tackles new era in animal welfare
Date posted: May 20, 2008
New trends, the latest research and leading strategies on farm animal welfare. All were featured at the 2008 Livestock Care Conference in Red Deer, Alberta.
The annual conference, featuring international heavyweights in the field, is hosted by Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC), a partnership of Alberta's major livestock groups with a mandate to promote responsible, humane animal care within the livestock industry. The following feature articles, anchored on the AFAC Web site, provide overviews of the major conference presentations.
- Learning and profiting from animal welfare trends. New definitions and expectations surrounding welfare also carry strong value-added opportunities for the livestock industry, says Dr. John Webster of the University of Bristol in England.
- Global approaches to farm animal welfare hit home. New emphasis on animal welfare in the U.S., Europe and internationally is changing the dynamics of how food is produced and marketed worldwide, says Dr. Ed Pajor, director for the Center for Animal Well-Being at Purdue University in Indiana.
- The challenge of animal welfare legislation in Canada. Meaningful action on animal welfare means placing animals first, politics second, says Dr. Terry Whiting, a veterinarian with Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) responsible for the Manitoba Animal Care Act.
- Farm animal welfare is 'job one' for Alberta. Auditing provincial red meat slaughter plants is a big step to strengthen Alberta's position as a leader in promoting high animal care standards, says Dr. John Church, Livestock Welfare Specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development.
- Seeing things from the livestock point of view. Repairing the growing disconnect from 'all practical things' is critical to ensure simple, effective approaches to livestock welfare, says Dr. Temple Grandin, a designer of livestock handling facilities and one of the world's leading authorities on animal welfare issues.
- Media battles: changing the view of livestock production. Media is highly influenced by animal activist groups and reframing the issues can help turn the tide for producers, says veteran analyst Dan Murphy, a partner in Outsource Marketing in Bellevue, Washington.
Reprintable with permission. Reproduction of this article - in whole or in part, in print or electronic - requires direct permission from Meristem Information Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem directly to request reprint permission. |
