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by Susie Taylor

"Farmers need to be increasingly aware that they are being watched more and more by their customers and consumers."

So said Paul Sundberg, assistant vice president of veterinary issues for the National Pork Board (NPB), during a panel discussion at the Ohio Livestock Coalition’s annual meeting and industry symposium Feb. 25 at the Ohio Department of Agriculture campus near Reynoldsburg.

Other panelists, who answered attendees’ questions, were Daren Brown, manager of quality assurance for Wendy’s International; Gary Wilson, chair of the cattle health and well-being committee for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA); Gene Gregory, senior vice president with United Egg Producers (UEP); and James Kinder, chair of the Department of Animal Sciences at Ohio State University.

The panel discussion, moderated by WRFD AM 880 Farm Broadcaster Darrin Johnston, culminated a day of producers looking at how animal welfare issues are affecting the way they produce cattle, hogs and chickens.

The day’s speakers focused on "Myths and Facts About Animal Welfare Initiatives."

Wendy’s Brown discussed the food chain’s policies and procedures as they relate to animal welfare and handling. "Consumers have a need for comfort, balance and control … it all adds up to a greater need for time," Brown said. Of the top 10 actions consumers take to save time, six are related to food, he said.

Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas developed five principles that the company still operates by today, Brown said:

• Quality is our recipe
• Do the right things
• Treat people with respect
• "Profit" is not a dirty word
• Give back to the community.

Each of those principles dictates that Wendy’s be concerned about the handling of the animals that eventually become someone’s next value meal, Brown said. Suppliers must participate in two audits each year. Suppliers that score 100 or more points less than the possible 1,000 fail the audit and are no longer Wendy’s suppliers. The audits take into account how animals are transported, unloaded, stunned and slaughtered.

Wendy’s, as well as many other restaurant chains and commodity organizations, has used the scientific expertise of Temple Grandin, an animal science professor at Colorado State University and expert in proper handling of livestock.

The National Pork Board, United Egg Producers and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association have used Grandin’s research in developing animal welfare statements and policies.

NCBA’s Wilson followed Brown’s remarks. "I don’t know of any livestock producers who start the day with the intention of abusing their livestock. The work is too hard, the hours are too long and the weather is too competitive to tell me producers don’t care about their livestock."

Wilson outlined steps his NCBA committee has taken to draft Animal Care Guidelines, and he decried controversial and inflammatory statements made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) founder Ingrid Newkirk. "In PETA’s definition, my farm would be classified as a place of animal torture," he said. Wilson and his family have a 50-cow operation in Muskingum County.

He also suggested that the food industry from farm to plate work together to develop standard on-farm and slaughterhouse audits to make the process uniform. "What do we do if this week, Wendy’s comes in [and] the walls have to be white, but next week when McDonald’s is here the walls have to be black?" Wilson asked.

Gregory discussed the science behind the animal husbandry guidelines for United Egg Producers suppliers. The research looked at proper crate size for laying hens, beak trimming techniques, forced molting and handling prior to slaughter.

Research has shown that white egg hens produce best when living in cages that offer 67 square inches. The current standard is about 48 inches. Producers are given six years to convert their facilities to the larger sized cages.

Sundberg, a veterinarian, focused on the National Pork Board’s Swine Welfare Assurance Program (SWAP) that will be unveiled during training at the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting in March.

"We won’t use SWAP in response to PETA, FMI (Food Marketing Institute) or NCCR (the National Council of Chain Restaurants)," he said. "We want producers to use SWAP to help them do a better job, to try to ensure the producer and customer have a common audit (set of animal care rules) to go by."

He added that the pork board’s philosophy is: "if you do what’s right, it’s going to help you. If you follow science, it will benefit you, too."

Kinder addressed how and why Ohio State’s animal science department would include an animal welfare curriculum within different courses without creating an entirely new "Farm Animal Welfare" course.

"We feel we’ll be able to reach more students, both within the department and beyond," he said. And the move to include animal welfare issues in other courses sends the message to students that the issue is "an essential part of the whole."

The curriculum is being designed with funding from a USDA Higher Education Challenge Grant and expected to be fully implemented within the next year.

After the industry symposium, the Ohio Livestock Coalition board of directors met. Officers for 2003 are Bernard M. Heisner, COBA/Select Sires, president; Mike Bumgarner, United Producers, vice president; and Bruce Long, Ohio Corn Marketing Program, secretary/treasurer.

Copies of the industry symposium's proceedings may be obtained by contacting the OLC office at dwhite@ofbf.org. or 614-246-8288.