Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: Animal Welfare Expert Temple Grandin Urges Farmers to Share Their Message

Animal welfare is an issue that is gaining in importance for livestock farmers across North America .There are few people more influential in the area of reasonable animal welfare improvements than Dr. Temple Grandin. I recall her sharing her thoughts at a meeting back in 2006 about the future of animal handling and animal welfare. Today, she is calling on farmers to use social media to influence the public discourse on animal welfare in North America, and the strides taken since the 1980s to make real improvements.
 
If we look at the big picture, companies are being influenced to use their market clout to force change at the farm level. States are passing resolutions to change production practices. The European Union is implementing change already. Increasingly, the animal agriculture community recognizes the importance of these developments and its impact on how agriculture conducts its business.
                     
Temple Grandin was recently in Brandon, Manitoba sharing her thoughts on the public discussion that has occurred so far. When she looks at the change in the industry over the last thirty years, she stated:
 
A lot of the public today in the cities is totally separated from the farm and there's been a lot of improvements made in agriculture and the public's not aware about it… I'm very frustrated about that because things are so much better compared to the 80s and the early 90s. There's just no comparison.
 
And on the subject of wider communication with the broader public, Grandin had the following comments to make:
 
The aggies have got to get out and communicate with the public and one of the
ways to do that is to put things up on you-tube, just regular things. I find the public is curious about the everyday regular things, feeding cattle, taking care of cows, handling pigs, how you mix feed. Things that are just chores to the farmer are really interesting to the public.[1]
 
If you want to hear this highly influential woman, there will be a chance on Thursday, June 7 at the Living Arts Centrein Mississauga. This is a rare opportunity to ask questions about the future of animal handling from one of the top experts in the world – a world that is changing for farmers slowly everyday. Farmers need to find the time to engage the broader public to ensure that the change coming is reasonable and that well-thought out solutions are developed that meet public concerns.



[1]Quotes sourced from: Farmscape.ca Livestock Producers Encouraged to Take Advantage of Youtube by Bruce Cochrane

 

Nathan Stevens is the Interim Manager and Director of Policy Development for the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. The CFFO Commentary is heard weekly on CFCO Chatham, CKNX Wingham, and UCB Canada radio stations in Chatham, Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville and Kingston and in Brantford and Woodstock. It is also found on the CFFO website:www.christianfarmers.org. CFFO is supported by 4,200 family farmers across Ontario.

Views: 84

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Comment by OntAG Admin on June 3, 2012 at 4:52am

Here is a link to information on the Temple Grandin event in Mississauga.

http://ontag.farms.com/events/understanding-the-animals-in-your-lif...

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Key International Export Markets See Significant Agri-Food Volume Increase

Algeria, Indonesia and Morocco, three of Saskatchewan's key international markets, saw significant increases in provincial agri-food exports in 2023 over, the previous year. "The increase in exports to important international markets like Algeria, Indonesia and Morocco are yet another example of our agriculture sector's resiliency and dedication to providing reliable, high-quality agri-food products worldwide," Agriculture Minister David Marit said. "Numbers like these showcase the success we are seeing through our presence in world markets and building key relationships with our partners across the globe." Exports to Algeria had the third-highest increase in volume among Saskatchewan's top markets at 1,232,110 tonnes, or over 69 per cent. Algeria is Saskatchewan's fourth-leading market in volume with the top export commodities being durum and lentils. Indonesia's export numbers had a similar rise with an over 62 per cent increase in volume. Indonesia rose to Saskatchewan's sixth-

Supporting Research and Innovation in Agriculture with Funding for 101 New Projects

The governments of Canada and Manitoba are providing $16.3 million in grant funding under the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (Sustainable CAP) to support 101 projects under the Research and Innovation Program over the next three years, federal Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced today. “Folks around the world are looking for more sustainable agri-food products and I know our producers can deliver,” said MacAulay. “By investing in research and innovation across the value chain, we can address current and future challenges and help make sure the sector remains resilient, competitive, and efficient.” The funding will go towards research and capacity building to accelerate innovation in agriculture in Manitoba, supporting companies that are leading innovative research and putting Manitoba at the forefront of sustainable agriculture research. “Research and innovation drives growth and economic de

Low to Moderate Risk of Significant Spring Flooding for Manitoba

Manitoba is facing just a low to moderate risk of significant spring flooding this year, according to the provincial Hydrological Forecast Centre. With normal- to below-normal soil moisture at freeze-up and well-below-normal to above-normal winter precipitation for most Manitoba basins, the March Flood Outlook report on Tuesday said the risk of significant spring flooding is low to moderate for most Manitoba basins. Water levels are expected to remain below dikes and community or individual flood protection levels. The spring flooding risk is low for the Red River and tributaries, low to moderate for the Assiniboine River and tributaries and the Interlake region including the Icelandic and Fisher rivers; and generally low for the Souris, Qu’Appelle, Rat, Roseau, Pembina, Saskatchewan and Churchill river basins, and the Whiteshell Lakes region. Most Manitoba lake levels are normal to below normal and forecasted to remain within their operating range after the spring runoff, the out

Potato planting in peril: Irish farmers face uncertain future amidst wet weather woes

In a concerning turn for the Irish potato industry, farmers across the nation are grappling with a pressing dilemma due to unrelenting rainfalls. The situation has left them in a state of uncertainty, as they question whether planting their crops this year is a feasible option, as Louise Walsh reports in a news story published on breakingnews.ie.

CPMA announces the 2024 PFP participants

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) is proud to announce 20 rising stars who will participate in the 2024 Passion for Produce (PFP) program in Vancouver.

© 2024   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service