ACCLAIMED US animal behaviourist Dr Temple Grandin says Australian feedlot operators should be proactive to educate consumers about animal welfare.
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Dr Grandin suggested tools such as live video streaming of animal handling areas and feeding pens would demonstrate to the public the importance producers place on the welfare of animals under their care.
Speaking to Queensland Country Life from the Australian Lot Feeders Association (ALFA) BeefWorks Conference at Kerwee Feedlot, Jondaryan, Dr Grandin said one US chicken producer was able to communicate their strong animal welfare focus to the public by providing live footage of their laying hens.
The live video streams are displayed on the website of JS West and Company and members of the public can post comments and questions to management.
“I think feedlot owners could think about streaming live video of the induction areas and feed yards to show the public what’s actually going on in the feedlots,” Dr Grandin said.
“We need to be showing the public what we do. When you are bashed you need to open the door, not close it.”
Dr Grandin emphasised that the target audience needed to be the “general public” and not “radicals who say we shouldn’t eat meat”.
“The problem we have today is that a high percentage of young people have never been on a farm of any kind and are growing up well away from the practical realities of farm life,” she said.
“These are the people we need to be communicating with.”
After providing the keynote address to conference delegates yesterday, Dr Grandin is today providing demonstrations of her remarkable animal handling skills in a set of Grandin-approved yards at the Kerwee Feedlot.
As part of her visit to Australia, Dr Grandin also toured several feedlots on the Darling Downs earlier this week and said she was impressed with what she saw.
“People seemed to be very serious about good animal handling,” she said.
“They were also some of the cleanest feedlots I have seen. To be fair to our feedlots back home we have a much colder and wetter climate that makes things a lot more difficult for us.”
