海角大神

The 43rd session of the United Nations Committee on World Farming Security approved a dramatic聽policy recommendation聽with broad implications for livestock welfare. These recommendations are modeled after the聽Terrestrial Animal Health Code聽written by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE, formerly the International des Epizooties) and are meant to improve animal health, food security, and nutrition.

The recommendations include enabling access to veterinary services, improving animal health management, promoting the prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials鈥攊ncluding the phasing out of use of antibiotics for animal growth promotion鈥攄elivering on the five freedoms and related OIE standards, and promoting access to good quality feed. The five freedoms referred to in the recommendations are animal rights outlined by the OIE to govern treatment. They are 鈥渇reedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; freedom from fear and distress; freedom from physical and thermal discomfort; freedom from pain, injury and disease; and freedom to express normal patterns of behaviour.鈥� Activists believe these freedoms necessary for the humane treatment of animals and should be universally accepted.

In addition to the humane treatment of animals, scientific research is revealing the financial benefits of the new welfare recommendations. For instance,聽heat stress聽lowers growth, reproduction, production, and health in livestock, leading to decreased profit.聽Bruised meet, caused by rough handling, reduces product quality, safety, and market value. Improving animal welfare can reduce聽greenhouse gas emissions, lowering climate change risks and related costs. Regulators now have the tools to track and enforce the new recommendations including improved methods of聽assessing pain,聽monitoring stress, and聽evaluating聽animal welfare.

Researchers have found that聽educating workers聽how stress, injury, and shock before slaughter can decrease meat quality has led to increased adoption of animal welfare practices and policies.聽Collaboration聽in the United Kingdom between producers, scientists, and veterinarians in policymaking resulted in practical, meaningful, and effective reductions in antibiotic use.聽Sustainable breeding聽programs, a branch of agroecology, are focusing on adapting livestock to local environments, increasing food security and diversity. According to the聽Journal of Dairy Science, the dairy industry has already seen a shift towards decreased antibiotic and hormone use and improved animal welfare, as well as an increase in organic farms, in large part due to social pressures and policy changes. However, a multinational evaluation found that聽further work聽is necessary to expand animal welfare programs internationally.

In the United States, the majority of farm animal聽regulations聽are at the state level. The strongest relevant law at the Federal level is the聽Animal Welfare Act, but it does not apply to farm animals. The聽Twenty-Eight Hour Law聽of 1873 (amended 1994) prevents the transportation of livestock for more than 28 consecutive hours without being unloaded for five hours for rest, water, and food. The聽Humane Methods of Slaughter Act聽of 1958 (amended 2002) outlines proper handling of food animals, except chicken and other birds, but there is聽inadequate enforcement. These and a few sections of the聽Code of Federal Regulations Title 9聽suggest how to treat farm animals, but they are not as progressive or inclusive as the new U.N. recommendation.

Progress towards improving animal welfare in the U.S. include guidelines from the Food and Drug Administration regarding聽antibiotic use. This, coupled with voluntary actions in industry, has聽lowered antibiotic resistance聽in meat. Additionally, the聽American Humane Certified鈩⒙燼nd聽Certified Humane聽programs provide third party verification of adherence to OIE recommendations.

Increasingly, companies are voluntarily committing to improving the welfare of animals used in their products. Organizations such as聽Bon App茅tit聽and聽Whole Foods聽have had animal-friendly policies for years. Since the U.N. announcement, companies including聽Panera Bread,聽Pret A Manger,聽Compass Group USA,聽Sodexo, and聽Aramark聽have stated they will take steps towards improving their practices and those of their suppliers. The聽Humane Society,聽Global Animal Partnership,聽World Animal Protection, and other advocacy groups are reporting these commitments with great enthusiasm. Consumers continue to聽drive market directions聽and increasingly expect the聽humane treatment聽of livestock. The new recommendations seem to be acting as a guidepost for industry, even in the absence of regulatory oversight.

This story originally appeared on Food Tank.