
Tag Archives animal welfare

Ag minister talks Proposition 12, VCOOL with the U.S.’s Vilsack
The trip marks MacAulay's first ministerial visit to the U.S. since regaining the role
Proposition 12 and voluntary country of origin labelling (VCOOL) were among topics raised during federal Ag Minister Lawrence MacAulay's first ministerial trip to to the U.S. after being appointed to the portfolio late last year.

Anti-activist bill back before Commons committee
Bill adds protections for biosecurity, farmers' mental health, Barlow says
A bill to create harsher penalties for unlawful entry onto farms and biosecure zones is back before the House of Commons after a previous iteration died on the order table in 2021. Conservative MP John Barlow brought forward Bill C-275, “an Act to amend the Health of Animals Act (biosecurity on farms),” as a private […] Read more

The link between toe tip necrosis in cattle and flooring
Flooring that provides traction without scraping hooves minimizes the risk of white line separation in cattle
Toe tip necrosis syndrome is a hind-limb lameness of feedlot cattle that develops days to weeks after arrival at the feedlot. This disease is also known by many other names: toe abscess, toe ulcer, P3 necrosis, toe necrosis, apical white line disease, apicus necrotica, and the list goes on. The disease was first described in […] Read more

‘Shocking’ farm videos barred at egg-price antitrust trial in Chicago
Food firms sought to show animal care claims not genuine
Reuters — A U.S. judge has barred Kraft, Kellogg and other major food producers from showing what the court called “shocking” and “heart-wrenching” videos of conditions inside certain hen houses at an upcoming antitrust trial against egg producers and marketers. In a ruling on Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger in Chicago said the risk […] Read more

Activists target Ontario hog farm with ransomware
'We are dealing with adversaries whose motivation is not money'
A ransomware on a small Ontario hog business is something a cybersecurity expert says needs more attention from the agriculture industry. Instead of cash, the attackers demanded the hog business owners publicly admit to what they alleged to be livestock mistreatment. The occurrence was unique and alarming, says Ali Dehghantanha, Canada research chair in cybersecurity […] Read more

Animal care council won’t update livestock transport code of practice
NFACC says 'no further action' pending
After over four years’ publicly funded work to develop an updated national code of practice for livestock transport for Canada, the National Farm Animal Care Council has called a halt. In an information update dated May 1, NFACC said its board has now decided “no further action will be taken” by the council to update […] Read more

U.S. Supreme Court upholds California’s pig confinement law
Dissent suggests 'substantial burden against interstate commerce'
Reuters — The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday preserved a California law banning the sale of pork in America’s most-populous state from pigs kept in tightly confined spaces, rejecting an industry challenge claiming that the voter-backed animal welfare measure impermissibly regulates out-of-state farmers. The justices voted 5-4 to uphold a lower court’s dismissal of a […] Read more

Continuous tie-stall housing to be phased out in new dairy code of practice
Producer, animal welfare groups praise new code; some drawbacks were noted
New guidelines for dairy cattle care will improve animal welfare while also potentially increasing farm productivity, Dairy Farmers of Canada says. “I think that we’ve come to a very solid revised code,” David Wiens, DFC’s vice-president, said in an interview. The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) on Thursday released its revised Code of Practice […] Read more

Comment: CFIA needs to recognize research on long hauls
I am not sure how the folks at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) looked at the recent research on rest stops for long-haul trips and concluded it supported the changes to transportation regulations, but they’ve done it. “The study summary on the BCRC’s website supports the current maximum allowed interval without feed, water and […] Read more

Preparing to ship cattle safely during the fall run
Using the VBP+ Shipping Record to maintain food safety, animal care and public trust
The fall run is not just a busy time of year for auction marts. For cow-calf and feedlot producers, fall is a mad dash of buying and selling. At times like this, it becomes hard to remember some key points related to food safety and animal care that become relevant when shipping calves or other […] Read more