Farmscape for June 28, 2006  (Episode 2179)

The Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan says a new national farm animal welfare initiative will help highlight the good work livestock producers do in caring for their animals.

The farm animal councils in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the national council have kicked of a three year 700 thousand dollar communications initiative.

The project features a database of animal welfare experts available to address public events, enhanced communications including newspaper and magazine articles, a newsletter, radio advertising and a livestockwelfare.com web site and animal handling and training workshops.

Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan executive director Adele Buettner says the goal is to raise the awareness of the care and attention that producers provide their livestock.

Clip-Adele Buettner-Farm Animal Council of Saskatchewan 

The four farm animal councils have a history of working very closely together and where ever we can strengthen our energies, we have always had a very collective approach in doing that and so has our new national organization that has recently come on side this last year, year and a half or so.

Producers have always been very responsible with their livestock.

We know, as an industry, the better we care for our animals the better they will produce.

It's just time that we were more vocal and educate our consumers on how producers do care for their livestock.

We've really recognized these three programs will serve our industry and our members very well and we look forward to ensuring that they have the most up to date information on farm management and research that we have.

Canada is such a leader in farm animal welfare and this is just one way that we can help support that effort from our researchers.

The livestockwelfare.com web site is now running, the first issue of the "Insights" newsletter is being printed and some public education materials will be ready for public events this fall.

For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

       *Farmscape is a presentation of Sask Pork and Manitoba Pork Council