Ranchers, consumers and others who have thoughts on how beef and its cattle should be sustainably produced in Canada are asked to speak up again, this time by early November at the latest. The Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), in the midst of developing a Verified Sustainable Beef Framework, has released its new draft […] Read more
Public input sought on sustainable beef indicators
Alberta feedlot vet wins animal welfare award
Reading Time: < 1 minute Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed is the winner of an award from the Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians and Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) for her leadership in improving the welfare of feedlot animals. The Coaldale veterinarian was instrumental in the development of the Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment tool for auditing animal welfare, the first certified audit […] Read more
Getting (a digital) read on how animals are feeling
Sophisticated camera technology can pick up subtle signs of cows in heat, and may one day be able to ‘read’ emotions
Reading Time: 2 minutes What do “The Lord of the Rings” movies and a study on animal expressions have in common? Both used motion capture technology — albeit for very different reasons. “Generally, we found that we could detect when the cows were in heat by using motion capture,” said Mirjam Guesgen, who recently completed her post-doc studies at […] Read more
Chicken producers decry abuse shown in undercover video
Abuse on a B.C. broiler farm is an isolated incident but the poultry industry must ensure it doesn’t happen again, says Alberta Chicken Producers
Reading Time: 2 minutes Like its predecessors, the latest undercover video by Mercy for Animals showing abuse of animals on a farm has had a big impact. The 2-1/2-minute long video shows catchers from Elite Farm Services kicking, throwing, and simulating sexual acts with broiler chickens on a farm in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. Erna Ference, chair of the Alberta […] Read more
Big uptake for more humane euthanasia device
Producers rush to acquire non-penetrating bolt stunner after Alberta Pork pilot project
Reading Time: < 1 minute A pilot project promoting a more humane euthanasia device has resulted in its widespread adoption in the Alberta hog sector. “This more humane method of euthanasia is now well accepted and is being used,” said Javier Bahamon, manager of quality assurance with Alberta Pork. “Today, 30 per cent of Alberta’s sow herd is covered. Now […] Read more
Horse euthanasia: When is the ‘right time’ to end suffering
Horse Health: The strong bond most horse owners develop with their equine companions makes this a very difficult choice
Reading Time: 3 minutes Sometimes the decision to euthanize a horse and end suffering is clearly obvious. This can occur when a horse has a severe injury or an unrelenting and non-responsive illness such as laminitis or colic. However, all circumstances are not so straightforward and many times horse owners are confronted with situations of illness, injury or aging […] Read more
Greig: Animal welfare research focusing more on emotional states
Animal welfare research is moving beyond identifying what keeps an animal healthy, to focus more on their state of being and their happiness. For years, farmers have justified the way they manage and house animals based on objective measures of their health: disease prevalence, growth rates and feed consumption. Consumer research, however, shows that’s not […] Read more
New egg layers code wins praise
Reading Time: < 1 minute The revised Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Layers is a “tremendous achievement,” says the Egg Farmers of Alberta. The code is the foundation for the egg industry’s animal welfare standards, and informs enhancements to the national Animal Care Program. The new Code of Practice is the result of “a rigorous and […] Read more
Stampede is a champion of animal welfare, says researcher
The Calgary rodeo is a leader in giving access to researchers, and they haven’t found high levels of animal stress or abuse
Reading Time: 3 minutes Animal activists are quick to denounce the Calgary Stampede for animal cruelty. But it turns out very little research has been done on animal welfare at rodeo events. “As a scientist, I can say that there is no data on rodeo and how animals are being treated. That’s where some of the research we’ve been […] Read more
Don’t write off animal welfare advocates as vegans and ‘crazies,’ says expert
Most consumers now believe animals have rights and livestock producers have to respond to their views, says bioethicist
Reading Time: 3 minutes The growing emphasis on animal welfare and animal rights is part of a societal shift, and the livestock sector needs to embrace it. That’s the view of a philosopher who is also a professor of biomedical sciences and animal sciences at Colorado State University and author of several books on animal rights. “Too many people […] Read more
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