THE RECENT decision by two major hog processors to phase out the use of gestation stalls in company-owned hog barns provides the latest example of how concern about potential reaction can change agriculture.
Maple Leaf Foods recently announced it would follow the lead of U.S. hog processing giant Smithfield Foods and eliminate the use of gestation stalls over the next 10 years.
Opponents of the stalls, which confine pregnant sows for about 90 days of the 115 day gestation period, say the system is inhumane because it causes leg injuries, bone deterioration from lack of exercise and stress in animals.
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Supporters say the stalls eliminate bullying by aggressive animals and make it easier for handlers to provide better care and regulate feed.
Humane treatment of animals makes sense at many levels. The overwhelming majority of producers are compelled by their own ethics and by sound business management practices to look after animals as best they can.
And while hog barn operators favourably viewed gestation stalls for certain operational advantages – ease of pen cleaning, regulation of feed and general handling ease – many producers were also convinced by science of the past two decades, which told them the stalls offered better health and welfare protections for their sows.
Now, with attitudes changing what were once considered best management practices, it is apparent that the agricultural industry cannot afford to become complacent.
To protect shareholders and markets, processors must respond to consumer pressure. Maple Leaf has said the changes will affect only the hog barns it wholly owns (soon to be about 50,000 sows after a planned consolidation), but pressure will also come to bear on other operators.
The changes will be costly. However, the cost of not acting could be even higher because the trend is not likely to reverse itself.
The European Union has plans in the works to outlaw prolonged use of gestations stalls by 2013. Britain, Denmark and Sweden have already outlawed them.
The situation shows how imperative it is for those in any facet of agriculture to remain in constant touch with consumer attitudes. They must also be prepared for change when the need arises.
To do less is to risk their livelihoods.
Producers must also ensure their views and the human faces of those who make a living from agriculture are embedded in public perceptions. Otherwise, the debate will be one sided and those who campaign based on emotion rather than reality will win every time.
Commodity organizations and producers themselves must forge relationships with consumers by demonstrating that animal welfare is their concern and that they are key reasons why Canadians enjoy one of the safest food supply systems in the world.
Bruce Dyck, Terry Fries, Barb Glen, D’Arce McMillan and Ken Zacharias collaborate in the writing of Western Producer editorials.
