Safeway going crate free

Reuters / Safeway Inc., the second-largest U.S. grocery chain, said May 8 it plans to stop using pork suppliers that cage pregnant sows as part of their production process, a practice animal rights groups have called inhumane. “We think there are more sustainable pork production methods,” said Safeway vice-president of public affairs Brian Dowling, referring

Beef producers must engage the public on animal welfare

Animal welfare. These two words often evoke a strong response from livestock producers across the country who feel that their way of life is under siege by those who don’t understand them and don’t grasp what they do for society. One just has to look at a few headlines to understand why farmers may feel


Letters, April 12, 2012

Government should help fund transition Regarding the article, “Time to start thinking about group housing” (March 22, 2012), Bernie Peet is right to alert pork producers to the reality that gestation crates are on the way out. While transitioning to new housing systems, this is an opportune time for producers to improve housing conditions for

Certification and training for livestock transport

The federal government is giving $320,000 to the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association to help develop a certification program that will lead to training for livestock and poultry transporters. The support is for an industry-led initiative to develop national standards for the safe and humane transport of farm animals to help address public concerns and


Europe condemns Russian ban on livestock imports

brussels / reuters / A Russian ban on importing livestock from the European Union is raising major questions over Moscow’s commitment to global trade rules. Last month Russia announced a ban on imports of live animals from several EU countries affected by the Schmallenberg virus, which has infected sheep, goats and cattle in eight European

Australia to probe new Indonesia cattle cruelty video

Canberra / Reuters / Australia will investigate new video appearing to show cattle being mistreated at an Indonesian abattoir, and could reimpose an export ban on the slaughterhouse if it broke animal welfare rules, said Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig. Australia suspended live cattle exports to Indonesia for a month in 2011 after a video showing cows


The economics of animal welfare

Back in the early 1990s, when University of Manitoba animal scientist Laurie Connor first oversaw local research into hoop-housing systems for hogs, animal welfare wasn’t really even on the public radar. The key questions of the day were whether keeping pigs outdoors through a Prairie winter compromised production efficiency. Connor told a seminar last week

Stall-free pork coming to McDonald’s menu

Amove by fast-food giant McDonald’s to have its U.S. pork suppliers phase out sow gestation stalls has drawn praise from animal rights groups, but questions remain about the impact it will have on Canadian producers. “This is huge. That a major corporation has made this move is really very significant,” said Winnipeg Humane Society CEO


Third-largest U.S. hogproducer accused of abuse

The humane society has accused two of the largest American pork producers of abuse by confining sows in cages during pregnancy. In a video on the humane society website, sows can be seen chewing the metal bars of their gestation crates and struggling to stand up. Some are scratched, bleeding or even dead. “When it

Doing it right on the trapline

About 25 would-be trappers young and old were on hand at the local Legion Hall for a hands-on trapper education course last week. In one corner, two men were busy learning how to flesh beaver pelts over their knees with a sharp knife, and on display on long tables were tools of the trade, from