animal welfare, , , , , , " />

The pig whisperer

Steve Buist, Hamilton Spectator, 2008.06.04

I’m playing a word game with Temple Grandin. It’s fascinating to hear her describe how her brain works.

Temple Grandin is a professor of livestock behaviour at Colorado State University. She also happens to be autistic.

You could make the case that she’s the world’s most highly functioning autistic person and I wouldn’t argue with that.


Posted by Admin on July 22nd, 2009 :: Filed under Education and public awareness, Family vs factory farming, Farm life, Housing, Pork
Tags :: , , , , , ,

Ambassador for ‘nature’s perfect food’

Source: The Record (Kitchener), September 29, 2008, KEVIN SWAYZE

International poultry expert Peter Hunton is tired of the question.

“What came first? The chicken or the egg?”

The Cambridge man answers in a deadpan tone.

“I don’t have a good answer to that question.”

But ask Hunton, 72, a serious question about his life’s work and conversation comes easy for a 2008 inductee to the International Poultry Hall of Fame.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Housing, Poultry
Tags :: , , , , , ,

HOG WILD

BY TOBI COHEN, OTTAWA SUN, 2003.06.22

Pulling up to Luc and Louise Secours’ Bainsville farm one would never guess it was home to as many as 6,000 piglets at any given time.
It’s located on a large chunk of property a kilometre or so east of their
family farm home which stands perched atop a small hill next door to their chicken coop along Concession 2 in tiny South Glengarry town.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Animal health, Consumers, Family vs factory farming, Housing, Innovation and technology, Pork, Regulations
Tags :: , , , , , , , ,

United Egg Producers: Are Free Range Birds Happier? Maybe Not!

PRNewswire, ATLANTA, Dec. 19 / 2007

Animal rights activists have long alleged that hens in modern cages live a horribly stressed life, but new research appears to debunk those claims. Researchers have discovered that free range hens experience just as much or more stress than hens raised in modern, conventional cages.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Education and public awareness, Housing, Poultry, Research
Tags :: , , , ,

The Best Care for Pigs Should be Up to the Farmer

October 17, 2008, Letter to the Editor, New York Times

To the Editor:

“Standing, Stretching, Turning Around” (editorial, Oct. 9) does little
to advance the debate on farm animal housing. It accepts completely the hype concerning a California ballot initiative that among other things bans gestation stalls for pregnant sows.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Housing, Letters to the Editor, Pork
Tags :: , , ,

Ask questions about your food

Crystal Mackay, Ontario Farm Animal Council, Guelph; The Hamilton Spectator, 2007.01.17; Letter to the Editor

Re: ‘Paralyzed by choice at the egg cooler’ (Opinion, Jan. 12)

We’re fortunate to live in a country with so many food choices, in a world where many have little food at all. But many of the statements in the article on eggs need some perspective from farmers.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Family vs factory farming, Housing, Letters to the Editor, Poultry
Tags :: , , , , , ,

Elimination of Gestation Stalls May Compromise Animal Welfare

Farmscape for February 14, 2007 (Episode 3222)

The Canadian Pork Council fears recently announced plans to phase out gestation stalls could actually hinder the welfare of swine rather than help it.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Animal health, Canada, Housing, Pork
Tags :: , , , , ,

California Prop 2 Passes

New rules will close down the state’s egg industry, observers report.

Source: Feedstuffs (11/5/2008)

The California ballot initiative on farm animal housing has passed by a fairly large margin with 63% for to 37% against as of 5:30 a.m. Central with 87% of the vote in.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Family vs factory farming, Housing, Regulations
Tags :: , , , , ,

Modern Farms Balance Efficiency with Responsibility

The pigsite , August 04, 2008

INDIANA – It’s no secret that the farms of today are significantly different from those of generations past.

Dr. Jeff Harker’s veterinarian practice is dedicated solely to swine.Today’s farmers depend on technology such as GPS, odor filtration systems and computer programs to efficiently and safely produce food to feed the world’s growing population says a feature in the Indy Star. But the picture of modern farming sometimes makes those outside of agriculture uneasy.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Family vs factory farming, Housing, Pork
Tags :: , , , , , ,

The real deal about veal

Jennifer Bain, Toronto Star, 2007.04.04

The real deal about veal; The Ontario Veal Association president opens her barn for a tour, encouraging butchers, supermarkets, chefs and consumers to learn more about this lean red meat

Ontario farmers want you to know how they do – and don’t – produce veal.


Posted by Admin on July 19th, 2009 :: Filed under Consumers, Education and public awareness, Housing, Veal
Tags :: , , , , , , ,