Public consultation on the draft Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines for Poultry is well under way with Animal Health Australia now seeking feedback from the broader community. The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) is supporting farmers and industry members Queensland Chicken Growers Association (QCGA), Queensland Chicken Meat Council (QCMC) and the Queensland United Egg Producers (QUEP) throughout this process.
Farmers understand that standards, animal welfare or otherwise, must be evidence-based, underpinned by science and satisfy community expectations. They also understand the importance of having a proper system of review. For legislation and regulation to be legitimate and effective, the review process must be objective, robust and transparent.
Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for animal welfare activists to misrepresent and misconstrue farming systems and welfare standards. Sometimes these actions go too far and are designed to invoke maximum community reaction. Old footage is sometimes used and false claims made to portray farmers as cruel. Queensland egg and chicken meat farmers care for their birds and they get worn down by constant and inaccurate claims.
Besides being damaging to farmers, this process of virtue signalling is detrimental to public consultation. It is not in the broader interest of all the stakeholders that have been working towards the development of acceptable welfare requirements for poultry. Public consultation is important for farmers, particularly on animal welfare. It’s a process that should allow us to engage openly with the community; to explain what we do, why we do it and how our work delivers good welfare for our animals. When activist groups quote false facts and use old footage they undermine this process.
Animal welfare is important to the community and it can be an emotive issue. Queensland farmers are the front-line advocates for animal welfare, and continual improvement in the care and management of poultry remains a top priority. Public consultation for the draft poultry standards and guidelines ends Monday February 26.
