Cattle Rack Rancher
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From the Western Producer
Why farmers should care about animal welfare
this document web posted: Wednesday April 6, 2005 20050407p23
By Ernest Miciak
This is part of a series of articles written for the Western Producer by Ernest Miciak, doctor of veterinary medicine, on a conference he attended on animal sentience held in London, England, March 17-18.
Why should a western Canadian farmer care about animal sentience?
The answer is that world agricultural policy is changing rapidly through organizations such as the United Kingdom's Compassion in World Farming Trust, or CIWF. It is a powerful organization that lobbied successfully to change the way European lawmakers define animals.
Many of these issues are being debated and researched here in Canada and in the United States. With pressure from retail food giants such as McDonalds and Safeway adding their clout to organizations like the CIWF, similar changes are imminent here. CIWF now has an office in Montreal.
In Europe, animals used to be described as goods or products, but through persistent pressure on Britain's Labour party, the notion of animal sentience was ratified in the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam.
That treaty says it will "ensure improved protection and respect for the welfare of animals as sentient beings," and that, "in formulating and implementing the (European) Community's policies on agriculture, transport, internal markets and research, the member states shall pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals by respecting the legislative or administrative conditions and customs of member states, relating particularly to religious rites, cultural traditions and regional heritage."
The CIWF campaigns on this issue and is pressing for similar rules for the United Nations and the World Animal Health Organization.
A sentient being as recognized by the European Union means that an animal:
• Is capable of being aware of its surroundings.
• Is aware of emotions related to its sensations.
• Is aware of what is happening to it.
• Has the ability to learn from experience.
• Is aware of sensations in its own body, such as pain, hunger, heat or cold.
• Is aware of its relations with other animals including humans.
• Has the ability to distinguish and choose between different objects, animals and situations, which shows that it understands what is going on in its environment.
In short, animals are aware of how they feel, where they are, whom they are with and how they are treated.
The EU has adopted detailed directives on pigs, calves and laying hens. Gestation crates have been a hotly debated topic. The EU has banned new crates since 2003 and existing crates will be prohibited starting Jan. 1, 2013, although they are still allowed in the first four weeks of pregnancy. The latter point is to be contested when the directive comes up for review in 2008.
This prohibition of gestation crates came as a result of a report by the EU's Scientific Veterinary Committee that states: "no individual pen should be used which does not allow the sow to turn around easily."
The report noted that "since overall welfare appears to be better when sows are not confined throughout gestation, sows should preferably be kept in groups."
Under EU legislation, slatted floors in pig barns will be a thing of the past by 2013 and producers are compelled to provide a "sufficient quantity of bulky or high fibre food as well as high energy food."
Environmental enrichment through the use of straw, hay, wood, sawdust, compost or peat is required to "enable proper investigation and manipulation activities."
Routine tail docking has also been prohibited.
Veal crates were the target of the EU directive on calves. As of December 2006, calves can only be kept in pens large enough so they can turn around. After eight weeks of age they must be kept in groups unless a veterinarian certifies that individual animals must be isolated for health reasons.
"The welfare of calves is poor when they are kept in small individual pens with insufficient room for comfortable lying, no direct social contact and no bedding or other material to manipulate," the EU vet report said.
Further, the report criticized the all-milk diet fed to veal calves and EU law has prohibited this since 1998.
It concluded that calves fed a diet deficient in iron and roughage "can have serious health problems, can show serious abnormalities in behaviour and can have substantial abnormalities in gut development."
As of Jan. 1, 2012, battery cages will be prohibited for egg laying hens and until then, they must meet strict standards for dimensions, litter and environmental enrichment.
So-called enriched cages are allowed but critics say these offer no significant welfare benefits to hens and some states have recognized this.
Germany will prohibit enriched cages from 2012. The animal welfare movement prefers free range husbandry and this is being addressed in the EU directives.
Debeaking and forced molting have been prohibited or severely restricted in European law.
Under the General Farm Animal Directive, all animals including fish that are bred or kept for the production of food, wool, skin or fur or for other farming purposes have been included.
EU member states are required to "make provision to ensure that the owners or keepers take all reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of animals under their care and to ensure that those animals are not caused any unnecessary pain, suffering or injury."
Why farmers should care about animal welfare
this document web posted: Wednesday April 6, 2005 20050407p23
By Ernest Miciak
This is part of a series of articles written for the Western Producer by Ernest Miciak, doctor of veterinary medicine, on a conference he attended on animal sentience held in London, England, March 17-18.
Why should a western Canadian farmer care about animal sentience?
The answer is that world agricultural policy is changing rapidly through organizations such as the United Kingdom's Compassion in World Farming Trust, or CIWF. It is a powerful organization that lobbied successfully to change the way European lawmakers define animals.
Many of these issues are being debated and researched here in Canada and in the United States. With pressure from retail food giants such as McDonalds and Safeway adding their clout to organizations like the CIWF, similar changes are imminent here. CIWF now has an office in Montreal.
In Europe, animals used to be described as goods or products, but through persistent pressure on Britain's Labour party, the notion of animal sentience was ratified in the 1997 Treaty of Amsterdam.
That treaty says it will "ensure improved protection and respect for the welfare of animals as sentient beings," and that, "in formulating and implementing the (European) Community's policies on agriculture, transport, internal markets and research, the member states shall pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals by respecting the legislative or administrative conditions and customs of member states, relating particularly to religious rites, cultural traditions and regional heritage."
The CIWF campaigns on this issue and is pressing for similar rules for the United Nations and the World Animal Health Organization.
A sentient being as recognized by the European Union means that an animal:
• Is capable of being aware of its surroundings.
• Is aware of emotions related to its sensations.
• Is aware of what is happening to it.
• Has the ability to learn from experience.
• Is aware of sensations in its own body, such as pain, hunger, heat or cold.
• Is aware of its relations with other animals including humans.
• Has the ability to distinguish and choose between different objects, animals and situations, which shows that it understands what is going on in its environment.
In short, animals are aware of how they feel, where they are, whom they are with and how they are treated.
The EU has adopted detailed directives on pigs, calves and laying hens. Gestation crates have been a hotly debated topic. The EU has banned new crates since 2003 and existing crates will be prohibited starting Jan. 1, 2013, although they are still allowed in the first four weeks of pregnancy. The latter point is to be contested when the directive comes up for review in 2008.
This prohibition of gestation crates came as a result of a report by the EU's Scientific Veterinary Committee that states: "no individual pen should be used which does not allow the sow to turn around easily."
The report noted that "since overall welfare appears to be better when sows are not confined throughout gestation, sows should preferably be kept in groups."
Under EU legislation, slatted floors in pig barns will be a thing of the past by 2013 and producers are compelled to provide a "sufficient quantity of bulky or high fibre food as well as high energy food."
Environmental enrichment through the use of straw, hay, wood, sawdust, compost or peat is required to "enable proper investigation and manipulation activities."
Routine tail docking has also been prohibited.
Veal crates were the target of the EU directive on calves. As of December 2006, calves can only be kept in pens large enough so they can turn around. After eight weeks of age they must be kept in groups unless a veterinarian certifies that individual animals must be isolated for health reasons.
"The welfare of calves is poor when they are kept in small individual pens with insufficient room for comfortable lying, no direct social contact and no bedding or other material to manipulate," the EU vet report said.
Further, the report criticized the all-milk diet fed to veal calves and EU law has prohibited this since 1998.
It concluded that calves fed a diet deficient in iron and roughage "can have serious health problems, can show serious abnormalities in behaviour and can have substantial abnormalities in gut development."
As of Jan. 1, 2012, battery cages will be prohibited for egg laying hens and until then, they must meet strict standards for dimensions, litter and environmental enrichment.
So-called enriched cages are allowed but critics say these offer no significant welfare benefits to hens and some states have recognized this.
Germany will prohibit enriched cages from 2012. The animal welfare movement prefers free range husbandry and this is being addressed in the EU directives.
Debeaking and forced molting have been prohibited or severely restricted in European law.
Under the General Farm Animal Directive, all animals including fish that are bred or kept for the production of food, wool, skin or fur or for other farming purposes have been included.
EU member states are required to "make provision to ensure that the owners or keepers take all reasonable steps to ensure the welfare of animals under their care and to ensure that those animals are not caused any unnecessary pain, suffering or injury."
