Guest Blog by Steve Kopperund, Ag issues consultant
I’ve decided the general media are pretty much amateurs or hacks when it comes to accurately covering issues in food and agriculture. In no other area of our lives – including the arcane world of high finance – does a single profession get it wrong so much of the time. I’m allowed to say this out loud because I was a general newspaper reporter before I was an agbiz reporter/editor before I was a lobbyist.
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Posted by FFC on May 7th, 2012 :: Filed under
Animal health,
Food safety,
Media,
RegulationsTags ::
cattle,
food safety,
regulation
By Leslie Ballentine, Farm and food commentator
Mice may be cute but they are also the subject of political debate. According to RadioNetherlands, mice have moved into the Dutch parliament building during the winter recess. The debate began when the Animal Rights Party informed the press and the leader of the lower house that the party would be “removing all the mousetraps in their part of the building and replacing them with mouse-friendly traps.”
This became front-page news and editors came up with some truly awful puns as they covered the rodent drama. Things took a new twist when a regional TV station discovered that the mouse-friendly traps weren’t friendly at all: “the mice start squeaking and create panic throughout the rest of the mouse family,” the station reported. Presumably these “humanely” trapped rodents are being relocated or adopted by the Animal Rights Party. Meanwhile, some MPs have recommended getting a house cat to solve the pest problem.
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Posted by FFC on February 28th, 2012 :: Filed under
Activism,
Animal cruelty,
Regulations,
WildlifeTags ::
activists,
animals,
regulation
By Leslie Ballentine, Farm and Food commentator
In December a plan for an outright ban on ritual slaughter methods in the Netherlands failed to pass the Dutch Senate. The bill and the issues surrounding it garnered world-wide attention by Jewish and Islamic communities, the meat processing and retail sectors, and animal activists. Government diplomats also became involved.
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Posted by FFC on February 13th, 2012 :: Filed under
Activism,
animal handling,
Food,
Meat/slaughter plants,
RegulationsTags ::
activists,
animal welfare,
food,
meat,
regulation
By: Leslie Ballentine, Farming and Food Commentator
There’s lots of talk on the need for science-based policy decisions by politicians at all levels of government. No more so than at the municipal level. The City of Toronto is a prime example of local politicians over-riding both science and experience in making decisions about animals.
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Posted by FFC on November 28th, 2011 :: Filed under
Activism,
Animal care,
RegulationsTags ::
activists,
animals,
regulation
By: Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
There is often confusion among the public on Canada’s laws governing the treatment of animals. That is understandable since animal protection is a mix of federal, provincial, and even municipal laws. Added to the mix, in the case of farm animals, are the varying animal care requirements instituted by the farm and food community in recent years.
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Posted by FFC on August 29th, 2011 :: Filed under
Animal care,
Animal cruelty,
Misconceptions,
RegulationsTags ::
agriculture,
animal welfare,
misconceptions,
regulation
By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
I am not committed to any particular political party and, like many Canadians, tend to cast my ballot based on election platforms. Not that I necessarily expect them to be honoured, but sometimes party platforms devolve into nonsense.
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Posted by FFC on April 14th, 2011 :: Filed under
Activism,
Innovation and technology,
Organics,
RegulationsTags ::
activists,
agriculture,
Canada,
regulation
By Leslie Ballentine, Farming and food commentator
With a federal election just around the corner, politicians are being inundated with voter requests for new legislation in the next Parliamentary session. One that comes up with regular frequency is legislation dealing with animal welfare. A researcher with the University of Manitoba suggests the legislative approach to addressing public concerns related to the welfare of animals raised for food does not necessarily ensure the welfare of those animals. A viewpoint shared by others.
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Posted by FFC on April 7th, 2011 :: Filed under
Activism,
Animal care,
RegulationsTags ::
activists,
animal welfare,
regulation
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.
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Posted by FFC on January 22nd, 2010 :: Filed under
Activism,
Regulations,
ResearchTags ::
activists,
misconceptions,
regulation,
Research
08Dec19 By SHANNON RUCKMAN, The Prairie Star editor
BILLINGS, Mont. - With close to 10 million horses in the nation, Montana horse owners and enthusiasts are concerned about the welfare of the equine industry if legislation is passed banning the transport of horses to slaughter facilities.
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Posted by FFC on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under
Horses,
Meat/slaughter plants,
Regulations,
TransportationTags ::
Horses,
regulation,
Transportation
Fairview Post
Posted By Chris Zwick
November 12, 2020
Livestock haulers and handlers across the country will soon require certification to transport livestock, but luckily enough the Fairview college campus is offering a one-day Certified Livestock Transport training program on Nov. 15.
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Posted by FFC on July 21st, 2009 :: Filed under
Regulations,
TransportationTags ::
animal care,
education,
livestock,
regulation,
Transportation
