More in Animal Well-Being

Domino’s Pizza shareholders Wednesday overwhelmingly rejected a request to study ending the use of pork from suppliers who confine pregnant pigs in crates, according to www.AnnArbor.com....More

The movement by U.S. food corporations toward more humane treatment of animals experienced a whopper of a shift Wednesday when Burger King announced that all of its eggs and pork will come from cage-free chickens and stall-free pigs by 2017, according to a report in today’s Minneapolis StarTribune.  The decision by the U.S.'s second-largest fast-food restaurant raises the bar for other companies seeking to appeal to the rising consumer demand for more humanely produced fare....More

The Animals for Life Foundation provided a grant for more than 150 first responders to be trained on the proper handling of large animals in time of crisis. Animal Agriculture 202 was conducted by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and the Ohio State University Extension. It included a series of eight presentations on the proper ways to plan for and respond to farm animal accidents and how to effectively interact with those animals....More

The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) issued a news release this week responding to the publication of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents in the Federal Register pertaining to the reduction of antimicrobial use for food-producing animals. Under the new, voluntary initiative, certain antibiotics would not be used for production purposes, such as to enhance growth or improve feed efficiency in an animal. These antibiotics would still be available to prevent, control or treat illnesses in food-producing animals under veterinary supervision. A three year “phase-in period” would elapse before these changes become effective. The dates of the phase-in period are currently unspecified....More

Opponents to the use of antibiotics in livestock production have exaggerated its use, according to recent reports from Kansas State University (KSU)....More

At the recent 2012 Annual Conference of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), veterinarians, veterinary medical educators and representatives of the food animal production industry discussed the rapidly changing nature of animal agriculture and how veterinary medical education and veterinary practice can respond....More

Research conducted by a graduate student at Iowa State University (ISU) has shown that digital images provide a more accurate measurement of pig behavior than human observation. ISU graduate student Shawna Weimer says plans that date back to 2003 by the National Pork Board to assess pig behavior by approaching piglets was eventually rejected because people observing piglets could not get consistent results....More

A recent research study indicated sows preferred to rest in stalls with mats and showed a reduction in lesions and an increase in postural changes....More

  Every pork production system faces the challenge of what to do when it’s clear that young pigs won’t recover from disease, weakness or trauma and need to be euthanized in a timely, humane and safe manner. This can be especially problematic with suckling pigs. Current approved methods including blunt force trauma and non-penetrating captive bolt are heavily criticized by consumers and animal rights organizations. And these methods may impact the caregivers’ well-being and psychology....More

  Mark Fehr and his brother-in-law Don Stuber buy 1,000 head of 21-day-old weaned pigs every nine weeks from a sow co-op. The pigs flow into a hot nursery and then flow into one side of a 2,000-head, double-wide finishing facility....More