Farmers understand benefits of animal welfare

Farmers must take the lead on animal welfare – their livelihoods depend on it. We like this article, published recently in the Guelph Mercury newspaper, that discusses this fact and a recent national funding announcement designed to take animal welfare even further in Canada – OFAC

Farmers understand benefits of animal welfare
Guelph Mercury
Owen Roberts
May 10, 2010

Healthy animals are profitable animals. And for farmers, profitability is the bottom line. Farmers who treat their animals poorly can face veterinarian bills, and other costly problems – such as a turned-off, unsupportive public. But right now, for the most part, consumers are on farmers’ side. And farmers aim to keep it that way.


Posted by OFAC on May 20th, 2010 :: Filed under Animal care, Animal health, Canada, Farm life, Innovation and technology, Media, Research

Don’t Be Fooled. Science Is Always Politicized

This is an interesting perspective on science and politics.  There are lots of parallels between the misconceptions and debates around climate change and those around animal welfare – OFAC.

By Ronald L. Doering

In spite of the media treatment of them, there is nothing that is surprising about the now famous Climategate emails. Surprise could only come from a misunderstanding of the relationship between science, policy and politics. Of course the emails reveal that the climate scientists were affected by policy and political considerations. They had to be. Science, policy and politics are inextricably intertwined. What is surprising is how much our public discourse is still dominated by the quaint utopian view that science and policy can be strictly separated.


Posted by OFAC on January 22nd, 2010 :: Filed under Activism, Regulations, Research
Tags :: , , ,

Poultry production has lower carbon footprint than other livestock systems

Source: Farmers Weekly Interactive 22/11/2007

Poultry meat uses less global energy than other livestock systems and
intensive poultry uses less than free range and organic, according to new research.


Posted by Admin on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under Education and public awareness, Family vs factory farming, Poultry, Research
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 :: , , , ,

Every day counts for chicken farmers

By Owen Roberts, Guelph Mercury, June 02, 2008

When it comes to what’s called broiler chickens, the ones that are processed into food, every day counts. In just five-ish weeks, they hatch from eggs, grow and find their way to our dinner plates. That brief time period is fascinating from a nutrition perspective, because a bird must grow up incredibly fast and stay extremely healthy to be ready for marketing in about 32 days.


Posted by Admin on July 19th, 2009 :: Filed under Animal health, Education and public awareness, Family vs factory farming, Food safety, Poultry, Research
Tags :: , , , , , ,