Use their tools, speak their language and address their values, says a leading animal welfare specialist invited to address the 2016 Banff Pork Seminar.

Temple Grandin

Colorado State University professor Temple Grandin, internationally renowned for her leading-edge work in animal welfare, said the general state of food animals across North American has improved immensely during the last 20 years. Livestock producers, haulers and processors truly do have a good story to tell, but are missing the mark in getting their message to the young adults who need to hear it, Grandin said in her presentation.

I’m proud of some of the stuff they’ve done in slaughter plants. They’ve improved so much,” said Grandin. But young consumers, who wield huge influence in the retail sector, aren’t getting the message, said Grandin.

“There’s a huge problem with lack of knowledge,” she said. “Fifty per cent of young adults in the UK could not connect a picture of pigs with bacon. There was a survey done on knowledge about chicken, and 78 per cent of consumers think chicken is a GMO.”

Grandin said large numbers of people have approached her with their comments and ideas during the years she has been working in animal welfare. One that stands out was a young school student who said she wanted to do a paper on “horrible factory farming.”

That notion of “big is bad” is common among growing numbers of young consumers, said Grandin. She observed that young adults are getting further and further from the farm, while there are no practical, hands-on components in what they learn in school. At the same time, they get most of their information and news from social media, such as You Tube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Addressing Alberta Pork directly, she said its web pages contain a great deal of information about the progress the industry has made to improve the care and handling of livestock. However, none of that valuable information is available through a key-word search online, even though that is the starting point for most young adults when they seek information.

Accurate information about the industry has to be readily accessible, in formats that have meaning and credibility with young consumers, said Grandin.

Most credible of all is for that audience to be able to make direct contact with producers, she said. While solid facts are vital, the message to young consumers must appeal to their sense of values, emphasizing the importance of good stockmanship and the benefits of keeping animals indoors, protected from weather and disease.

“You’ve got to engage their thinking. You’ve got to get their minds turned on. “Some farmers ought to put a live feed out to the Internet. We need to show people what we do.”

At the same time, cautioned Grandin, farmers, truckers and processors need to make sure that their animal welfare practices are meeting the high standards set by their industry. Pictures of skinny cows and lame sows are not beneficial to the good image that the industry has been building, she said.

Michael McCain, president and CEO of Maple Leaf foods, said in his address that all sectors within the pork industry must deal with mounting social pressure in a variety of areas, including nutrition and health, animal welfare and environmental stewardship.

McCain discussed the impact of anti-gluten campaigns that dramatically reduced the consumption of wheat, although only a very small percentage of the population actually experiences celiac disease.

“Yet over half of Canadians are reducing or eliminating wheat because of (the gluten content).” McCain warned producers that the vilification of wheat could also happen to fresh and prepared meats.

“This was heightened late last year when the International Agency of Cancer Research (IARC), part of the World Health Organization(WHO), declared that red meat was probably carcinogenic and prepared meats were carcinogenic.” The findings were not based on new research, but based on analyzing a number of studies with very mixed outcomes, he said. Thus, IARC placed processed meats in the same risk category as smoking or exposure to arsenic.

“I’m not advocating that people over-consume meat or any food group, for that matter. But, according to IARC, if you did eat two hot dogs a day for the rest of your life, your chance of getting colorectal cancer would increase or would be about six out of 100. But, if you never ate any prepared meats in your lifetime, your chance of getting colorectal cancer would be about five out of 100.” Once IARC had communicated its position, the media took over, said McCain.

“It got so blown out of proportion that even the WHO tried to clarify things by acknowledging that there was some shortcomings in the classification system that puts prepared meats in the same category as arsenic and smoking. But it was too late.”

The stories had already spread, and were the largest single download that day from the Washington Post, said McCain. One third of consumers now believe there is a relationship between cancer and eating meat, largely because of their faith in inflamed and inaccurate information, he said.

“If we learned anything from the escalation of gluten from a nutritious protein to a panacea for all that ails you, it’s how quickly a minor or negligible risk can turn overnight into a food movement,” said McCain. “We need to do a much better job of getting balanced information out there. People need to see meat for what it is; a highly nutritious protein that is an important part of our diet.

“As an industry, we need to do a better job of getting balanced information out so people can make informed choices.” McCain said a fund is being built through Canadian and US industry associations to build a more robust effort to counter misinformation and reinforce the benefits of meat. A video series highlight the importance of meat in a balanced diet is being prepared and research has been commissioned to help understand people’s views on meat, both positive and negative.

People also want more transparency in how food is raised and processed, he said. He cited a recent survey in the US stating that a majority of people are concerned about the health effects of antibiotics and hormones while just over one third feel that pork and poultry is less safe to eat now than it was when they were children.

“As an industry, we are responding. We are continuing with animal husbandry practices that reduce reliance on antibiotic use. Food processors are reducing sodium, sweeteners and artificial flavours and migrating to simpler and more natural ingredients,” said McCain.

Maple Leaf is making a “significant” investment in hiring specialized staff and reformulating its products, he said. He announced that, last year, his company hired Greg Douglas, former Chief Veterinarian for Ontario, to lead its animal welfare team. “Greg has the important role in our company of establishing a world-class program at Maple Leaf, working with a highly experienced team, our suppliers and external experts.”

McCain said that all producers who contract with Maple Leaf must adhere to the standards set out by the Animal Care Assessment program, based on the work of the National Farm Animal Care Council. “You’re only as good as the weakest link. Even following the regulatory requirements is often just not good enough.”

Undercover videos have exposed some alarming practices, exposing gaps in the duty of care farmers hold in the ethical and humane treatment of their animals. Consumer concern over the humane treatment of animals is at a seven-year high, according to a recent study in the US by the Centre for Food Integrity, said McCain.

“Only 25 per cent of those people surveyed strongly agreed that meat comes from humanely treated animals,” he said. They identified humane treatment of animals as their chief concern, citing sow crates as the top priority within that area of interest.

“Blaming the activists for reverting to a defensive posture will not solve this challenge,” he said. “This is not a fleeting issue, and defending the status quo is not a viable option. As an industry, we need to rally together to advance higher standards and higher expectations from each other,” he said.

Transparent communication plays a central role in sharing the message about how the industry has and will respond to public concerns, said McCain.

Maple Leaf has made a formal commitment to enhancing animal care, consistent with the internationally-recognized Five Freedoms: * Freedom from hunger or thirst. * Freedom from thermal or physical discomfort. * Freedom from pain, injury and disease. * Freedom from fear and distress. * Freedom to indulge in normal behaviour patterns.

Within that commitment, Maple Leaf has determined that its pork operations will transition all sow under its management to loose housing over a set period of time, with all farms to undergo an independent audit by company-approved auditors.

The commitment includes standards for pain management, video auditing in animal handling facilities and a strategy to improve transparency in communications, while continuing to establish “constructive relationships” with animal rights organizations.

Questions remain, however, about the strength of consumer commitment to animal welfare and whether they are willing to pay a premium for higher standards in animal treatment.

University of Alberta student Anita Ahiney Laryea, one of four finalists in the R.O. Ball Young Scientist competition during the 2016 seminar, is now working on a survey in an attempt to answer that question. In presenting the scope and focus of her study, Laryea said she is surveying a broad spectrum of Canadian society, including vegetarians. “In order for the pork industry to effectively respond to (animal welfare) concerns, it has to equip itself with adequate information,” said Laryea. She hopes to discover whether there is a market segment available for certified humane pork products and whether consumers would develop a preference for those products.

“My main motivation is that a lot of people are disconnected from agriculture, and as such it has led to ignorance of the process. Because they’re ignorant, they tend to believe easily what social and farm animal activists put out there,” she said in an interview with Prairie Hog Country. “That leads to misconceptions about the whole farm welfare issue.”

On the following day, Laryea had an opportunity to speak privately with Grandin, finding common ground in their desire to encourage the industry to address consumer values and share information about the measures taken throughout the industry to make sure that animals care meets the highest possible standard. At the urging of delegates attending her presentation, Laryea promised to publicize the analysis and results of her survey as they become available. •

— By PHC Staff