Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) is seeking volunteers to help with the ALERT line. Volunteers need to be passionate about livestock welfare and knowledgeable about current practices of care. AFAC is especially in need of volunteers with knowledge of any livestock species in northern Alberta and in remote locations, but welcomes volunteers from anywhere in […] Read more
Passionate about livestock? AFAC needs you
Fewer downers being shipped, says hog exchange
An undercover video showing abuse has prompted widespread changes at the hog assembly yard
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Red Deer hog assembly yard at the heart of animal abuse allegations almost two years ago has seen industry-wide improvements in animal handling. “Since the Mercy for Animals incident, we have made significant strides in improving our level of animal care and husbandry,” said Brent Moen, chair of the Western Hog Exchange. “And I […] Read more
We can’t turn a blind eye to abuse
Domestic violence and animal abuse do take place on farms in our province, and both must be reported
Reading Time: 4 minutes A 2012 report called The Cruelty Connection looked at whether there was a relationship between animal abuse and domestic violence in Alberta. And there was — people who committed crimes against animals also committed crimes against people. The project (a collaboration between the SPCA and the RCMP) found that in 85 per cent of cases […] Read more
We no longer have the luxury of time in making changes
When consumers decide a livestock practice is wrong, they expect changes to be made immediately
Reading Time: 3 minutes We used to believe — and many companies still do — that we could maintain consumer trust by going through the exercise of a food safety or production protocol. We have discovered in this very tribal age of transparency, this is not sufficient. Consumers are expecting actions to be taken and are moving away from […] Read more
Hanna ranchers win award for animal care
Reading Time: 2 minutes Dylan and Colleen Biggs of TK Ranch were two of the recipients of awards of distinction at the recent Livestock Care Conference hosted by Alberta Farm Animal Care. The Hanna-area ranchers were recognized for their long-term commitment to animal welfare and sustainably produced food, which has served as a model approach inspiring the progress of […] Read more
Look at your farm the way a consumer would, says animal welfare expert
The term ‘producers’ is a problem, and so are a host of common practices
Reading Time: 3 minutes Producers need to talk and think about animal welfare differently to gain the trust of consumers, says an official overseeing animal welfare at one of the largest dairies in the U.S. “Everything happens through people,” Jennifer Walker, a veterinarian and director of dairy stewardship at Dean Foods, said at the recent Livestock Care conference hosted […] Read more
Nominations sought for AFAC’s Awards of Distinction
Deadline for nominations is Feb. 15
Reading Time: < 1 minute Alberta Farm Animal Care is seeking nominations for its Awards of Distinction, which recognize individuals or groups who have made exceptional contributions in the field of livestock welfare. There are three award categories: The communication award recognizes those who have taken an active role in effectively getting the message out about livestock issues, and informing […] Read more
Upping your game through pain control
New video makes the case that pain control makes sense in a host of ways
Reading Time: 3 minutes The Beef Cattle Research Council has a new video to help producers better understand new pain control requirements. As of Jan. 1, the national beef code requires pain control after horn bud attachment and for castration of bulls older than nine months. (The latter changes to six months as of Jan. 1, 2018.) The benefits […] Read more
Five reasons to celebrate 2015
There's no denying it was a troubled year, but don't forget the many good things that happened
Reading Time: 5 minutes As you look back on 2015, do you feel the January blues coming on? The oil price crash went from bad to awful, tighter margins were made worse by summer drought, and ‘disaster’ seems a charitable description for Bill 6. But there were lots of positive developments in the past year and now’s not a […] Read more
Nestle to switch to cage-free eggs in U.S. by 2020
New York | Reuters –– Nestle said Tuesday it will stop using eggs laid by caged hens in its U.S. products by 2020, making it the largest packaged food company to go cage-free amid pressure from consumers and animal-rights groups. The world’s largest food maker said it uses about 20 million pounds of eggs annually […] Read more
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