Veterinarian urges transparency on animal welfare
By Drovers news source Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Kansas State University veterinarian Dan Thomson believes that the U.S. beef industry is doing a lot of things right when it comes to animal welfare - but that there´s plenty more work to do when it comes to perceptions and realities about animal welfare.
"There isn´t anyone in this room who is not concerned about animal welfare," said Thomson, speaking to attendees at the 2009 K-State Beef Conference Aug. 13. He said that while most producers work in an ethical and humane manner, the industry has not done a good job of educating the non-farm public of standard management practices or of reminding citizens that beef producers are food producers.
Speaking on the topic "Animal Welfare - It´s Your Business," Thomson, who is an associate professor in clinical sciences in K-State´s College of Veterinary Medicine, said that concerns about the subject first arose surrounding the use of animals for research purposes.
That concern has now spilled over to livestock production for food purposes. Read More
Many of the things that Dr. Thomson mentions are things that you have heard me say for the last several years. It’s essential that all of us in the livestock industry take an active role in promoting animal agriculture. It should be perfectly clear to everyone that there is an effort in this country to put all farmers and ranchers that raise livestock out of business. If you aren’t prepared to do something about it, then be prepared to accept it.
1 comment:
You may wish to call your practices "humane" all day long, but when the killing of animals is done simply for gastronomic pleasure and money - there's nothing "humane" about it.
I too may call myself a "good mother" while beating my child - And I can also call myself a "faithful wife" while sleeping around... However, words have specific meanings - "humane" and "slaughter" are total contraries to each other. A good dictionary and some critical thinking would serve the animal ag industry well.
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