Hidden Camera Videos

I watched a “documentary” today on CBC that was based on an “undercover investigation” by the group Mercy for Animals (MFA).  It was an expose on the pig industry and the intensive confinement that is used in pig agriculture.  It was graphic, ugly, and portrayed the farmers as heartless animal abusers who are strictly out for a buck.  If you are an animal rights group that is against the use of animals for food (which MFA is), it was an incredibly effective tool.  If you are the CBC, a nationally funded broadcasting agency paid for by the people, it may not have been quite as effective a story.  Tom Kennedy, the investigative reporter, was sent a tailor-made, exclusive to w5 video clip that was taken by an Animal Rights advocate who admitted that his goal is for all people to become vegetarians.  The video was shown (I’m not sure how much of the video that was sent to w5 was shown), and the activist was interviewed.

Much of the video was centered around injured pigs, euthanizing piglets by “blunt trauma” and pigs in gestation crates, which severely confine their movement and restrict the behaviour dramatically.  The fact is, pig farms are big.  All the people who live in cities eat pork.  As do all the people who live in towns, and the people who live on dairy farms, chicken farms and guys who produce crops.  All these people produce 0% of the pork they need.  On the show, there was the obligatory 5 second shot of 5 pigs running around in the mud somewhere (not in the snowy environs outside Winnipeg where the videod farm was).  The reality is that pigs do not fare well outside in Canada for 6-8 months of the year….but that’s besides the point.

I’m not here to defend the pork industry….I know more about it than most people, but I am not an expert in pork production, nor have I worked intimately with pork producers for a dozen years or so.  I know that the video was sensationalized, and probably consisted of less than 0.01% of the video the activist shot.  The bottom line is that some very bad things happened on the farm, some moderately bad things happened on that farm that were able to be edited and shown out of context to be made to look bad, and there are some things that people who are ignorant about agriculture find distasteful, but aren’t inhumane. (Proper euthanasia often falls under this category).

Interestingly, during one of my MSc lectures, a welfare scientist who has often been quoted in activist videos showed another, much older, protest video that he was involved in.  His was a cautionary tale (since we were going to be graduating as animal welfare experts), and he was saying how important it was to be extremely careful when commenting on animal welfare for these groups.  He was filmed and quoted in several sections of the video in question, and then explained to us what his answers actually were.  Once, his answer was complete, but through the magic of editing, the interviewer asked a different question, then inserted his answer, entirely changing the meaning.

The bottom line is, animal activists and protest videos have an agenda.  They admit it freely, but it still gets forgotten by the people watching the show.  Expert opinions that are offered as support may be accurate, or may not.  Remember, the animal rights people want to stop the use of animals.  They believe it is immoral to use animals for our benefit.  I actually admire activists….they believe in something, and do their best to promote their moral view and spread it.  Of course, I also admire Jehovah’s Witness’, for the same reason.  I don’t agree with either of them, but admire their committment.

The reality is that farmers give the public what they want.  If farmers could sell their pigs for twice as much, and spend twice as much time with half the number of pigs, they would jump at the chance.  If the production from 100 pigs could pay for a farmers mortgage and living expenses, that agricultural model would exist.  But the proportion of organic pork sold in stores is not increasing.  If people are only willing to pay a little more for pork before they switch to beef, chicken or eggs, then farmers need to figure out the most humane way they can produce pork under those constraints.  NOBODY can afford to have a job that doesn’t pay the bills….if they do, it’s called a hobby, and they need to have a job on the side.

The fact is, bringing these issues to light are good for the industry, animals, and consumers….if they are taken with a grain of salt.  Conservative institutions like agriculture change slowly, and the goad provided by extremists make farmers evaluate what they do, and progresses animal welfare.  Letting consumers realize the direction that the economics of food production push production strategies is also helpful.  Painting farmers as the cause of the system is like blaming your doctor when you are sick.

Just some thoughts on hidden camera videos.  If you keep them in mind the next time you see one of these videos, try to remember that this is the likely distillation of months of video, edited to make it look as bad as possible.  If you don’t work in an office, imagine someone with an agenda doing his best to make your workplace look ugly….could it be done?  In all honesty, I would HATE for someone to do an undercover video of me parenting my kids….if you take all my worst parenting moments over the past 3 months and make a montage…..just sayin.

Mike

Demystifying Agriculture

I read an article in a small agricultural paper here in Ontario.  I haven’t yet put my hands on the book itself, but intend to as soon as I get a chance.  The author, Maurice Hladik, discusses and puts some numbers on some things that I have known through my experience in modern agriculture. 

Many of you know that I am closely involved in modern agriculture, and am very supportive of the system that has developed over the past 50 years.  I find it frustrating to see the misconceptions that are accepted as “fact” by the majority of urbanites who are not exposed to the realities of modern agriculture.  I thought I’d share the article, and encourage anyone who is interested in where their food comes from to pick up this book.  If you are not interested enough to read the book, at least feel confident that the food production methods in North America are considering the same issues you feel are important, and they are constantly changing their systems to meet the demands and values of the consumers they serve.

 

Ontario Farmer

May 31 – by Jim Romahn – Maurice Hladik has written Demystifying Food from Farm to Fork to counter the annoying media criticisms of modern agriculture. He’s certainly got enough experience to write a book; he grew up on a farm in Central Alberta, gained two economics degrees, worked as agricultural attaché in New Zealand and Germany, and for a cellulostic ethanol company in Ottawa. Among the issues he “demystifies” are:

- Small farms are disappearing. In fact the average farm size in the U.S. declined from 431 acres in 1997 to 418 acres in 2007 and the percentage of farms of 99 acres or less increased from 49.2 to 54.4 per cent.

- Fertilizer use is increasing. In fact between 1990 and 2005, 17 per cent less nitrogen, 28 per cent less phosphorous and 20 per cent less potash was used to produce a bushel of corn. – Corporate farming is taking over. In fact the U.S. census found that 86.9 per cent in 1997 and 86.5 per cent in 2007 are owned by individuals or families.

- Organic farming is significant. In fact there are only 8,694 dedicated organic farmers in the U.S.,

- Food miles matter. In fact, much less energy is used to move oranges from Florida or tomatoes from California than to drive the family car to a local farmers’ market or farm. The energy used to prepare a meal in the home is far greater than the energy used in transporting food.

- The food system is broken. In fact, the percentage of the world’s people deemed malnourished declined from 33 in 1969 to 16 per cent in 2010 and the number of adequately-fed people more than doubled form 2.5 to 5.5 billion.

- Organic foods are nutrionally superior. In fact, a thorough review of scientific literature published in 2009 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that organically-produced foods are not superior.

Hladik says he has nothing against organic farmers, but he raises a lot of questions. For example, he wonders why so few organic farmers have been found guilty of cheating. He says it must be hard to resist the temptation to use pesticides to save a crop being devastated by insects or diseases, especially if inspections are infrequent and hardly any growers are decertified. He also provides a long list of pesticides that are acceptable to various organic organizations and wonders whether the public knows. Hladik makes a convincing case in favour of large-scale, modern farming methods. For example, only a farmer growing thousands of acres of grain can afford GPS technology, combines, tractors and no-till drills that result in greater precision, higher yields, reduced soil erosion and less pesticides and commercial fertilizers.

The paperback book is available from Barnes & Noble, Amazon and iUniverse for $19.95 and in electronic form for $9.99.

Mike the Chicken Vet

It’s Food Freedom Day in Canada

Whew!  Just in time….I, like you, have just made enough money to pay for all the food I will eat this year….assuming you are as average as I am.   I’m not 100% sure how it works for the kids….they don’t have jobs, and they still eat quite a bit, so….they may have to go on a diet.  But, bottom line, we pay less than 10% of our GDP on food each year.  According to the government, each household spent $7440 on food in 2008, which was 1.8% higher than 2007.  (Somehow, the government knows EXACTLY how much I owe them the day after my income tax is due, but can’t tell me how much we spent on food any more recent than 2008….) 

In the 1960′s, the amount we spent on food was around 18.7% of our income.  I find it amazing that we spend so little for food in a country that, lets face it, is relatively inhospitable to life in general for 7 months of the year.  Much of our food cost has extra charges for transportation, energy and housing….whether its greenhouses, or barns with heaters.  Imagine being an egg farmer in the tropics….put up a roof, and some netting, and your barn is built….here we have walls, insulation, heaters, big fans, and computerized controls so that our birds don’t freeze in the winter or cook in the summer.

Anyway…I was looking at the numbers for food freedom day, and noticed a few other official numbers that were pretty interesting.  These numbers are from 2009, but are not too far off what is going on today.  The average person eats 16.1 dozen eggs per year (193 eggs), which is down from a high of 23 dozen (276 eggs) in 1960.  Of these 193 eggs, 70% are sold in the shell, and 30% are consumed as processed eggs.  Processed eggs are sold at retail, to hotels, restaurants and institutions, are sold to further processors for the manufacturing of many foods (bakery products, mayonnaise, noodles, etc.) and speciality items such as shampoo, pet foods and adhesives.  Consider Chinese consume 349 eggs per person, Mexicans consume 345 eggs per person, and the Japanese consume 323 eggs per person per year.

Canadians have a vast amount of choice when it comes to eggs.  Eggs farms in Canada produce white, brown, Omega-3, free-run, free-range, vitamin enriched, lutein enriched, and organic eggs.  They come in pee wee, small, medium, large, jumbo and double-yolk sizes.  There are a few farms now that are testing out aviary and furnished cage systems.  It is amazing to live in a country where we can afford to have this much choice!

So….now that I have enough money to buy all my food for the year, I have 3 days to save up for valentines day…..so I don’t have to spend extra money on a comfy couch.

Mike the Chicken Vet

A Perspective on World Food Supply

A week ago, I went to Atlanta to the International Poultry Exposition.  It was massive, with an official attendance of over 20, 500 patrons and 895 exhibitors.  As a laying hen vet, it is an ideal spot to hook up with researchers, breeding experts, other vets and people who have “been there and done that” since before I was born.  I’m willing to bet that if a fact has ever been known about a chicken, someone in that room knew it. 

Because of the concentration of expertise, it was a great forum for a meeting entitled “The Future of the American Egg Industry”.  Although egg farming in Canada is somewhat different, there was a lot that I thought I could learn from the speakers, so I put my quest for loot at the booths, and sat in on some serious stuff. 

The first speaker was Jeff Simmons, the president of Elanco, the animal health arm of Eli Lily.  This guy sits at the head table of a company that in 2008 had revenues of over $20 Billion.  He is in a position to know a lot about international agricultural issues.  He is also a professional speaker….extremely engaging and REALLY passionate.  His message boiled down to the fact that in 50 years, we will need 100% more food to feed the planet.  70% of that increase will need to come from increased efficiencies….we need to produce twice as much food, without using any more water for agriculture.  He quoted a UN statement that the most important therapeutic substance for the future will be nutritious food.  I have seen references to this in newspapers recently, as well.

Mr. Simmons practiced what he preached.  He told stories about fasting for 72 hours, then flying into a slum in Rwanda and living on the street for a week.  He said that unless you are truly hungry, you cannot appreciate the importance of accessable, affordable food to people in that position in the world.  And, according to numbers he used in his presentation, about 60% of people on earth are unsure where their next meal is coming from.  And it’s not just in the 3rd world (although mostly).  1 in 5 kids in the US eat 2 meals or less per day (not by choice), 2/5 in England, and 1/7 in France.  Without “Food for school” programs, he said that number would be much higher.

His opinion is that technology is the key.  He is confident that human ingenuity and knowledge will develop ways to improve efficiencies and yields at a pace to keep up with need.  Crops that will grow in drier soils, higher yielding strains, disease resistance, faster growing chickens, more efficient laying hens, more milk per acre of grass, more digestible grains, higher starch levels in corn, etc, etc, etc.  These improvements will involve all types of science, from genetic modifications, hydrology, microbiology and intensive housing of animals.  He feels that there is no alternative to this type of evolution for the vast majority of agriculture on earth.

He also discussed his opinion on consumers.  He said that 95% of people are food buyers, 4% are lifestyle buyers, and 1% are fringe groups.  He describes the groups as this: food buyers are mainly concerned with taste, cost, nutrition and safety.  Lifestyle buyers are concerned about specialty qualities ….luxury/gourmet, organic/local, self-grown, etc….he said we are all lifestyle buyers for certain things (think of the premium people pay for THEIR brand of beer, or their Starbucks, or that Ethiopian coffee, even if they buy most of their groceries based on price).  The fringe group are a minority who are trying to change the way food is produced.  He feels that the difference between lifestyle buyers and fringe is that lifestyle buyers want to INCREASE choice….they don’t care if other people buy “buck-a-beer” brands, as long as there is micro-brew available too…..fringe groups want types of food to be removed from the grocery store, and consumers to have less choice.

I found Mr. Simmons to be incredibly engaging, and his ideas are persuasive.  I spend quite a bit of time considering opinions of people who want to increase the base cost of food to meet a priority they have….animal welfare concerns, organic production, local food, etc, etc.  All of these increase the cost of food…..I was fascinated to hear the “other side of the story” from someone who has a great perspective on world food concerns.  I believe that all the concerns are valid, but this talk gives some perspective on the issue.  If nothing else, it is something to think about.

Mike the Chicken Vet

An Opportunity Missed

Today the city of Toronto’s councillors unanimously voted down the chance for backyard chicken producers to debate the issue of legally producing eggs.   I am of two minds about this decision.  I have met a few of the people in Toronto who are illegally keeping hens already within the city limits, both in person and through this blog.  I have yet to meet anyone who I think is doing a less than stellar job in looking after their hens, and they ALL care deeply about the welfare and well-being of their hens.

That being said, I understand why the city is hesitant to get involved in the chicken debate.  Remember, the bylaws are not really meant for the people who are currently looking after hens….it is to prevent people who start this venture on a whim.  If you are motivated enough to skirt the laws to have your hens, you will be motivated to research how to do it, and to give the birds what they need.

It’s the “Christmas puppy” syndrome that the laws are meant to guard against…..”hey Martha, the news says we can have chickens in our backyard….could save a couple bucks a week….lets grab some and toss ‘em out back, it will be fun!”.  These are the folks that will cause odor, noise, pollution and health problems….all of which are risks if the venture is not done well.

The councillors did not seem to “get it”.  Some of the comments about keeping chickens being “ridiculous”, and that if people wanted a farm experience, they should go to a farm, just showed that they did not appreciate the reasons that backyarders have for keeping hens.  There are reasons that henners are willing to go out of their way to build coops, clean up manure, go out of their way to secure good feed, and spend money and time looking after their feathered friends.  It’s more than the couple of dollars a week you save in eggs.

I guess I’m disappointed that the city wouldn’t take the initiative to make a good law that would allow interested people to keep hens in a healthy, humane way.  On the other hand, I’m glad that the city didn’t decide to put together a half-way, slipshod bylaw that would have put human and bird health and welfare at risk.

To all the backyarders in Toronto, I would just like to reiterate….the lack of support should not be seen as a criticism of your committment or care….the issue that council faces is bigger than that, and has to be applicable to people less diligent and conscientious than you are…at least the ones I know.

Also…the issue has been put off…not killed…the door is still open a crack, and if you can find a way to make council’s job easy enough, maybe they will re-open the file.  Good Luck.

Mike the Chicken Vet

What is Poultry Welfare?

Actually, the question should be “What is poultry welfare to YOU?”.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am doing a Master’s degree in animal welfare.  It has long been an interest of mine, and the circumstances resulted in me doing the degree part-time, while I am still doing my vet job.

Today, in my “Assessing Animal Welfare” course, a discussion evolved on defining animal welfare (makes sense to figure out what you are assessing before you start).  Basically, the gurus say there are 3 broad components of animal welfare – mental states (referred to as feelings or affective states), health (the absence of pain and illness), and ability to live naturally.   The great thing is that, almost universally, EVERYONE agrees on benefits and detriments for animals.  Nobody will argue that it is good for chickens to be sick, or hungry or in pain; and everyone will agree that it is good for hens to be able to perform natural behaviours like nesting, perching and dust-bathing.  It should be simple to go forward from this point.  Unfortunately, very few changes in hen care result in improvements in all 3 aspects.  Often, strategies that improve the hens’ health restrict the diversity in the environment, resulting in boredom.  More freedom of movement and behaviour almost inevitably result in more injuries and pain. 

The problems, arguments, plebiscites, lawsuits and angst result from the different emphasis people put on different aspects of welfare.  If chickens are allowed to wander outside, they will get more disease, and suffer more deaths and injuries from predators.  Nobody will argue this point.  What happens is that people argue about whether it is worth it.  (Even if, sometimes, the combatants don’t even realize that this is the discussion they are having.)   “Hens have to have access to the outside, to feel sunshine on her face”, and “The mortality and disease rates of range housing of laying hens is unsupportable” are actually just different shades of grey. 

I think that the discussions would be a lot more productive and congenial if everyone involved in the debate would realize that we are all actually on the same side.   We all want happy chickens living a free, healthy, productive life.  The question is: how many days of illness are worth the feel of sunshine on her beak?  How heavy a load of bacteria offsets the satisfaction of scratching through the dirt for bugs and grubs?  There is no set answer, but everyone has a valid opinion.

The discussion has to continue, and farmers have to continue to evolve to meet the society’s expectations.  Just remember, the debate has been going on for thousands of years….Aristotle and Plato discussed animal welfare in ancient Greece.  If they couldn’t figure it out, I don’t expect the answer will be very simple or straightforward.

Mike the Chicken Vet

Kindergarten Hatcher Update

If you look back through my posts, you will see the story about building an incubator and hatching some eggs for my daughter’s kindergarten class.  Today, Ducky (NEVER let 4 and 5 year olds name pets….) was moved to a new home.  The kids were wildly excited when I showed up today to get Ducky and take him to his new digs.  If you’ve never visited a kindergarten class, trust me….the next time you meet a kindergarten teacher, give her a hug (it’s almost always a woman), and say “thank you”, and “I’m sorry for what you have to put up with everyday”. 

Anyway….the chaos subsided a little, and all of the kids wanted to show me Ducky.  Since it was late in the day, they were supposed to be getting ready for the busses, but….

“Ducky”, outside of his home in the class

 

The kids then wanted to hold Ducky for “one last time”, before he “moves to the farm, and we never get to see him again”.  It’s surprising all the little lessons this project involved.  My daughter made a card, so that Ducky would remember her forever.  We then loaded Ducky into his travel crate, and walked him down the hall towards the parking lot.   Because it was bus time, the hallways were lined with little kids waiting to go home.

Ducky and his hoarde of admirers

Other than flashbulbs going off, I felt just like George Clooney walking down the hall….people crowding around, yelling questions, trying to get close…..it was mayhem….I don’t recommend it.  Of course, George has Stacey Keebler to help him through it, so he will probably be OK. 

Sydney and I loaded up the car and took Ducky to a local farm where they had graciously agreed to take our little orphan.  We put the cards and decorations up to make the empty horse stall a little more homey, and left, promising to visit soon.  Syd is now in her craft corner, drawing a picture of Ducky’s new home to take to school tomorrow to show her friends how he will be living from now on. 

Syd releasing Ducky into his new home

It was an amazing experience for the kids, the teacher, and, I have to admit it…for me too.

The conversation my daughter and I had on the way home from the farm was priceless.  If you ever have a chance to do something like this for little kids, do it…its truly worth it.

Mike the Chicken Vet

Pictures

I’ve added a new page to the top of the blog (I’m starting to figure out this whole technology thing!!).  If you are interested in seeing what modern laying hen housing types really look like, check these out.  I will update and add to this page periodically, especially the backyard ones, since they are so variable, and may provide some ideas for people trying to set up their own coops.

Mike the Chicken Vet

New Function

Hi all:

I was talking with a friend who has come in contact with my blog lately.  He was asking me why I hadn’t posted about coop design…it was something he was interested in.  I told him I had, but it was early in the year, but it gave me pause.  There is no point in putting up information (super-valuable, well-thought-out, incredibly-well-written information, I might add) if nobody can find it.  So…..I’ve designed a FAQ section, and recatagorized my posts.  Now if you have a specific interest, you can use the drop-down menu to the upper left, and it should focus on the things you want.  Hope this helps, and thanks Eric, for the suggestion.

Mike the Chicken Vet

Hatching Success!!!!

I spent the day on pins and needles.  I had not anticipated how nervous I would be when I set up an incubator and hatching eggs for my daughter’s kindergarden class.  (See my post…Kindergarden Incubator).  My daughter was SO PUMPED about the chicks that were coming today….as were her friends.  All day, I was wondering what was going to happen if none of the eggs hatched?  After all, it was a pretty rudimentary design, and maintained by the teacher, who had absolutely no experience…..I kept envisioning my little, trusting, five year old having her confidence in the world order shattered when none of the eggs hatched.

Anyway, long story short….well, actually kinda a short story short….by the time she left school, there was 1 chick wandering around, and hopefully more to come….the kids were incredibly excited…..as was I….big smiles all around.

Mike the Chicken Vet

P.S. – they named her DUCKY…..sigh