Canadian livestock producers are well positioned to comply with the policies being developed by national and multinational companies.
Walmart, Saputo, McDonald’s and many others have implemented or intend to soon implement policies that require food animals to be produced in specific ways.
Walmart’s new animal welfare policy, which was announced a few weeks ago, calls for changes to animal housing systems that it perceives to be inhumane and the use of pain medications for a variety of procedures.
It also calls for judicious use of antibiotics when animals are sick and elimination of antimicrobial use solely for growth promotion.
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Walmart’s policy also includes quick action in cases of animal abuse with corrective measures and discipline of the perpetrators.
Saputo’s recently announced policy has much the same content. The dairy processor will soon demand that pain medication be administered when cattle are dehorned, and it will ban tail docking.
Saputo went a welcome step further than regulatory issuance by donating $1 million to the University of Guelph for dairy cattle welfare studies.
As for McDonald’s, its plans to develop a model for sustainable beef, with Canada as the lead, have been well documented. It includes, in part, humane animal handling considerations. Much of Canada’s progress on these issues was initiated or implemented before these large food companies publicized their planned directives.
The industry has already seen steady moves toward enriched housing for laying hens and free-run production for broilers.
It has also seen a gradual move away from gestation stalls, despite questions that remain about piglet safety and animal welfare in open sow housing.
Growth promotion claims on antibiotics will be removed by July 2016,as directed by the federal government, and there are concerted efforts to quantify the use of antimicrobials in livestock so the amount can be assessed.
Livestock producers are well aware of potential problems associated with antibiotic resistant bacteria and that drugs important to human medicine should be used on sick animals only as a last resort.
Key to Canada’s progress on the animal welfare front is development of various codes of practice for livestock through the National Farm Animal Care Council.
The dairy industry was the vanguard of that process. It completed its code in 2008 and has since developed an audit process to ensure compliance.
The beef, pig, horse and sheep codes have been updated within the last five years, after extensive consultation, and they reflect changed times and changing public expectations. Modernization of codes for poultry, bison, rabbits and veal calves is underway, as is a revised code for animal transport.
Walmart’s animal abuse policy still needs greater attention.
Producers, and in fact most other people, cannot fathom why some individuals think it acceptable to abuse livestock. It cannot be condoned.
The revelation last week that no charges have yet been laid in a widely publicized case of dairy animal abuse at Chilliwack Cattle Sales last year proves that more attention must be paid to the crime and to the punishment — in that specific case and, heaven forbid, any others.
That said, livestock welfare in Canada is vastly better than in most other countries and appears destined to improve. Large food companies should acknowledge that.
