Better communication on welfare urged

Steve King
Congressman Steve King: legislation banning
horse slaughter turns an asset into a liability.
Photo: Animal Agriculture Alliance

The need for industry to provide consumers with factual information on the animal production system and the importance the industry placed on animal welfare were key topics addressed at the Seventh Annual Animal Agriculture Alliance (AAA) Stakeholders Summit held in Arlington, Virginia on 8-9 April.

Jason Frost, Technical Adviser at the New Zealand Embassy, attended the summit to listen to views, in particular on animal welfare, and how industry could build linkages throughout the food chain to address them.

The AAA, formed in 2000, represents the views of a broad range of the US food industry sector including producer groups, processors/packers, animal health companies and food retail operators. Its mission is to provide an informed voice to communicate the industry message on a range of issues, in particular, on industry animal welfare practices.

The summit was again moderated by prominent agriculture talk-back host Mike Adams with segments broadcast live over the AgriTalk radio talk-back show, reaching audiences throughout the US heartland.

Former House Agriculture sub-Committee Chair, Charles Stenholm was the keynote speaker. He spoke of the unintended consequences some legislation was having on the animal agriculture industry. In particular, he examined how the recent ban on horse slaughter had effectively removed options for horse owners no longer willing or able to keep their horse(s). An unintended consequence of the slaughter ban, Stenholm noted, was some 60,000 unwanted horses in the United States. Another result was a dramatic increase in the export of live horses for slaughter to both Mexico and Canada, with much of the meat produced then re-exported to the United States for use as animal feed (e.g., in zoos). Stenholm said the agriculture industry should communicate better to the public and consumers what they were doing to enhance animal welfare. Stenholm also discussed the animal welfare implications of the Farm Bill and believed that animal welfare issues would have a greater influence on future farm bills.

Current Congressman Steve King (Republican - Iowa) also spoke, remarking that he was strongly opposed to the legislation banning horse slaughter and considered the result had turned an asset into a liability. He said that, in terms of animal welfare, no one cared more about the welfare of livestock than those producing them - a point often overlooked by the consumer.

The development of the OIE Animal Welfare Guidelines was also discussed at the summit, with general agreement that there was opportunity in the guidelines to help enhance the trade in meat and meat products. It was felt that the guidelines would also assist efforts to assure consumers that animal products were both safe and produced to a high animal welfare standard.

The importance of US participation in the development of these standards was also seen as crucial and it was therefore important that industry views were communicated to the United States Department of Agriculture. The AAA is the liaison between the US industry and Government on OIE animal welfare matters and a key industry objective is to ensure their AAA members are updated on new OIE animal welfare initiatives.

In a live broadcast from the symposium on AgriTalk radio, Kay Johnson-Smith, Executive Vice President of the AAA, discussed the need for industry to improve its image in the wake of recent negative publicity. She emphasised the requirement for better communication to consumers about the importance industry places on animal husbandry and animal wellbeing. Both aspects, she noted, are critical components of a successful animal production operation.

The issue of consumer anxiety over where their food came from was discussed by Kevin Murphy of Food-Chain Communications. He believed it vital that industry undertake a dialogue with customers and suppliers on animal welfare issues.

There was also a realisation that meeting the needs of increasing global demand for food could only be done in a manner acceptable to both the producer and consumer. To achieve this, all sectors of the food chain had to participate in informing consumers of the social, environmental and economic benefits of the products the sectors provided.

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Page last updated: 11 July 2008