Some balk at rules | Producers who don’t comply ruin the reputation of the entire industry
Agricultural sectors are struggling to create animal welfare codes of practice amid tensions between producers and consumer expectations, but the reality is that not all producers will embrace the rules.
And that is a risk for sectors trying to improve their image and practices, a National Farm Animal Care conference heard Oct. 9.
Bad practices by a few could continue to be the public image of sectors committed to doing better, said Geoff Urton, manager of stakeholder relations for the British Columbia SPCA.
He has been involved in developing several of the codes now being created and is impressed by the industry.
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“They are doing this voluntarily, and I think they deserve credit for responding to expectations from the marketplace,” said Urton.
However, a minority of producers will continue to insist no one can tell them how to farm.
“The bottom 10 percent of farmers are real risks to the industry on this file,” he said in an interview after his speech to the conference.
“They are the ones who will end up on YouTube if there is some atrocity happening, and for many in the general public, that will be the face of the industry, whatever good practices there are generally.”
It is an issue acknowledged by Ryder Lee, manager of federal-provincial relations with the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association. He has been involved in developing the cattle code and acknowledged it is an issue.
“I don’t know that there ever will be an answer for everyone or a way for us to convince everyone that this is important for the industry’s future,” Lee said in an interview.
“That is one of the risks, but there also are opportunities through this process.”
Dairy is the first to complete its code of conduct, although final implementation does not come for several years.
Dairy Farmers of Canada vice-president Ron Maynard said there will be no dairy outriders ignoring the code because system controls identify each producer.
“We need to first help the farmers that need to improve the most, those the research shows to be the bottom 25 percent,” he said.
“There will be consequences if they don’t meet the requirements.”
Maynard said the industry could eventually impose penalties or simply stop milk pickup.
“We have an advantage over other industries don’t because we know where our producers are.”
Cattle, sheep, horse, mink, fox and hog sectors are developing codes, and chicken, turkey and poultry layers are beginning.
The codes set out rules for proper handing and care of animals through the production and transportation cycle, including proper nutrition, protection from harsh conditions, rules around transportation and in some cases housing space and conditions.
The project, financed in most cases by Agriculture Canada but industry driven, has been underway for years. Resistance often occurs at the grassroots level to consumers’ demands about how farming should operate, even if they have little knowledge of modern farming. Producers are also uneasy about potential costs and possible regulations.
Tina Widowski, a professor of applied animal behaviour and welfare at the University of Guelph and one of the scientists tapped to be part of scientific advisory committees for several code developments, said there is also scientist fatigue.
She said there are not enough scientists with expertise in the area to go around and most experts end up on several committees.
Agriculture Canada cuts to science budgets and staff are part of the reason, she added.
