Ames and the Iowa Cattlemen?s Association played host to a regional Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) meeting on Friday. Many producers, animal experts, and end users were in attendance. I had the chance to visit with Dr. Angela Baysinger of Merck Animal Health about animal welfare.
Audio: Full interview with Merck’s Dr. Angela Baysinger
The most common misconception about ?animal welfare? is it is somehow tied to ?animal rights?, and what those activist groups are looking for. Baysinger says animal welfare is about the treatment animals receive in our care.
The concern which has the biggest focus right now is pain mitigation. Some procedures are painful, there is no way around it. However, Baysinger says producers should be working with their veterinarians to find ways to minimize this pain as much as possible. It ultimately reduces stress on the animal and leads to better production.
Baysinger says many livestock producers use audits to keep their operations in check. The word ?audit? carries a negative connotation thanks to our friends at the IRS, but this is not meant to be a scary ordeal for animal production.
Dr. Baysinger highlights two different stressful situations in the life of your bovine: branding and weaning. She says there are new ideas being considered to make this process easier on the animal.
Caring for the well-being of our livestock is not a new concept. The methods are always improving to make this easier on animals and producers alike. You can find more information on Merck?s Cattle Care 365 website.
