Animal Welfare Standards in the Dairy Sector Renée Bergeron, Ph.D., agr. Dairy Outlook Seminar 2013
Introduction The animal welfare movement has gained momentum since the beginning of the century The topic attracts a lot of media attention
Introduction Animal welfare is increasingly seen as an important attribute of the food quality concept Nutritional value, taste, health, safety & ethics Changing consumer demand/behaviour «Attitude of Canadians toward animal welfare still highly variable, but a group of highly motivated consumers lobby for tougher standards» (Uzea et al., 2011)
Definition of Animal Welfare The Five Freedoms Freedom from discomfort Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from pain, injury and disease Freedom to express normal behaviour Freedom from fear and distress Adapted from FAWC (1993) Picture AWF (2005)
Definition of Animal Welfare Animal welfare varies from very poor to very good (Broom, 1991) «not a black and white concept» What we consider «good welfare» and the level of welfare that we are willing to offer animals depends on our conception of animal welfare (see Fraser et al. 1997), our values, economics, etc.
Definition of Animal Welfare Animal Welfare Animal Welfare Animal use is accepted as long as animals are treated humanely Wide range of opinions regarding humane treatment Animal Rights Humans do not have the right to use animals for their own purpose Food, clothing, research, etc.
Animal rights groups typically promote a vegan lifestyle Their practices are sometimes questionable Incorrect information on husbandry practices False impression of reality by focusing on cruelty situations
Nevertheless, they have been successful at drawing attention to certain issues http://www.mercyforanimals.ca/pigcruelty/
Whether or not we are in agreement with the ideas put forward
Some controversial practices Early separation of calves from their dam and food restriction Tie-stalls without access to pasture Dehorning without anesthesia
Some controversial practices Animal welfare goes well beyond controversial practices Any practice, technique or system may potentially impact animal welfare by causing stress, disease or injury
Welfare Assessment in the Lab Animal welfare may be measured objectively: Productivity Health Physiology Behaviour
Welfare Assessment in the Lab Animal welfare studies are often multidisciplinary Focusing on one single category such as productivity or health may be misleading (Fraser, 2003)
Welfare Assessment at the Farm INPUT based (resource & management) Food Housing Bedding Temperature Training & SOPs Etc. OUTPUT based (animal) Milk production Fertility Health Normal behaviour Ease of movement Etc.
Welfare Assessment at the Farm INPUT based (resource & management) OUTPUT based (animal) Quality and type of flooring Frequency of hoof trimming Lameness scoring on a scale of 1 to 5 1= normal cow to 5=severely lame cow
Welfare Assessment at the Farm Input-based measures tend to be more reliable, easy and quick to measure (EFSA, 2012) They measure the risks factors for animal welfare rather than their consequence on the animal (EFSA, 2012) Output-based measures are the most valid and flexible welfare indicators
Animal Welfare Standards In response to societal concerns various welfare standards have been developed Legislation (mostly in Europe) Some practices have been banned (cage systems) Codes of practice Quality assurance programs/farm assurance programs Some focus on welfare Others focus on food safety with animal welfare component
Animal Welfare Standards Nature of quality assurance programs and welfare outcomes highly variable Retailer standards Ex. Fast food chains Producer standard Ex. Producer groups Government standards Ex. Organic standards Civil society standards Ex. Non profit organizations (Thompson et al., 2007)
Animal Welfare Standards Space requirements for laying hens: Canadian Code of practice: 432-483 cm 2 United Egg Producers: 432-555 cm 2 McDonald s: 465 cm 2 Burger King: 484 cm 2 EU Directive (2003-2012): 550 cm 2 SPCA certified: 1486 cm 2 Organic (BC): 2322 cm 2
Animal Welfare Standards Most of these quality assurance programs provide opportunities for product differentiation (labels) or production of meat/milk aimed at niche markets (Honeyman et al. 2006)
Animal Welfare Standards Some programs have been designed to help all producers make improvements to their facilities and management educational tool inform consumers about the welfare status of their animals (Welfare Quality, 2009)
Animal Welfare Standards SPCA Certified Canada Organic Red Tractor N. Dairy FARM CQM Tie-stalls NO YES* YES* YES* YES No acess to NO NO YES YES YES pasture Dehorning-WA NO NO NO** NR NO Animal-based YES NO YES YES YES measures Third-party audit YES YES YES YES YES * Daily turn-out ** OK for disbudding
Dairy Welfare in Canada National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) «coordinates a national approach to animal welfare» Leads the Code of Practice review and development process Develops animal assessment programs, following an animal care assessment model (ACAM)
Dairy Welfare in Canada Since January 2012, a Program Development Team has been working on the on-farm animal care assessment program for the dairy industry Based on the Code of Practice requirements Input and output measures will be included An on-farm trial phase in on-going
Dairy Welfare in Canada Dairy farmers objective is to incorporate the new dairy animal care assessment program into the existing Canadian Quality Milk (CQM) On-Farm Food Safety Program
Conclusion Consumers want reassurance with regard to food quality, including animal welfare National standards and on-farm auditing systems will continue to be developed in response to consumer demand Producers must remain proactive and continue to demonstrate good practices at the farm level through quality assurance programs