SASKATOON – An international team of veterinarians will visit Canadian and American PMU ranches this year and next, with the aim of ensuring high standards of practice.
Equine veterinary specialists from the United Kingdom, the U.S. and Canada will tour barns that collect pregnant mare’s urine contracted to Wyeth-Ayerst, the manufacturer of Premarin. The drug is used in estrogen replacement therapy.
The team will be examining the health and welfare of mares involved in the production of urine for refinement at the company’s Brandon, Man. plant. Tours are to take place during the 1996-97 collection season.
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John Bucceri of Wyeth-Ayerst says the organizations providing the specialists were “selected for their commitment to equine welfare.”
“This is another effort to address the public perceptions of PMU ranches. We want the public to know that these are conscientious farmers who take care of their animals and that we as a company insist on it,” said Audrey Ashby, of Wyeth-Ayerst’s Philadelphia office.
Several animal rights organizations have targeted the company’s contracted farms in Manitoba, Alberta, North Dakota and Saskatchewan and made recommendations regarding unbiased inspection of the farms. Wyeth-Ayerst says the move toward more inspections and international observers is not a result of pressure from the groups.
