The chair of the Provincial Animal Care Committee says it’s important for livestock producers to become more involved in demonstrating to the public how they raise and care for farm animals.
The Provincial Animal Care Committee, an informal group of livestock producers, researchers and government veterinarians who get together to discuss issues facing livestock producers and share ideas that help foster a positive image of animal agriculture and how livestock are raised met last week in Winnipeg.
Brenda Bazylewski, the director of public relations and communications with Manitoba Egg Farmers and the chair of the Provincial Animal Care Committee, says public interest in agriculture has definitely heightened.
People want to know where their food comes from.
They also want to know a little bit about how their animals are cared for, how they’re housed. how they’re looked after by farmers.
This has definitely increased.
You know, folks who live on the farm and talked to their fathers back 20 to 30 years ago and how things have changed where it was about production, it was about closing our doors and doing what we do.
Now we realize in 2013 that people want to see in behind those doors.
They want to know what’s going on and they just basically want to be reassured that farmers are looking after their animals as best they can.
We know in the ag industry that agriculture doesn’t stand still, that farmers are continually looking at ways to improve how they look after and house and care for their animals and that all livestock groups invest heavily into research toward the health and welfare of their animals and look to make these improvements.
It’s an opportunity to get together and share the proactive initiatives out there and then we need to deal with getting that information out there so the public can rest assured that we are progressive and responsible and receptive to changes.
Bazylewski notes different groups are involved in some wonderful initiatives and by sharing information stakeholders can learn from each other.
