Report from the Oxford Farming Conference
A speaker at the Oxford Farming Conference (held at Oxford University from January 5-7) reported that farming in an animal welfare-friendly way can be the key to better profitability. Alistair Lawrence from the University of Edinburgh Veterinary School continued,"It is an achievable goal to deliver animal welfare within a competitive farming system." Professor Lawrence used examples from the dairy industry to illustrate this point, noting that the emphasis used to be on breeding for maximum yield but that this single-minded…
Whose FDA Is It Anyway?
If the system is so poor that it must be propped up with off-label and subtherapeautic antibiotics, perhaps its time to revise the system? In an apparent win for pharmaceutical companies, the Food and Drug Administration has recently rescinded a proposed ban on off-label use of cephalosporin drugs in animals raised for food. According to the Wall Street Journal, this last-minute reversal came just five days before the proposed ban would take effect. Has the FDA lost its way? The official mission of the agency states, "The FDA is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs," (among other responsibilities like regulating radioactive materials). Despite significant evidence that off-label and widespread agricultural use play a major role in creating antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the FDA has caved under pressure from the very companies selling the drugs. This decision not to ban off-label usage begs the question: What is the point of having a label in the first place?
Wanted: An rBGH-Free Appointment (can we still say that?)
A recent article on the Organic Consumers Association website joins the vetting process for Obama's Secretary of Agriculture appointment. Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff's name has surfaced as a potential pick for this post, and anyone that remembers his campaign against rBGH-free labeling will wonder how this appointment could possibly bring the change Obama mentioned in his Rural Plan (namely, to "Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms" and "Encourage Organic and Sustainable Agriculture"). Visit the OCA site to read…
Animal Welfare Approved Program to Provide all Audits for American Grassfed Association Members
Animal Welfare Approved program director Andrew Gunther is pleased to announce a new partnership with the American Grassfed Association (AGA) in which Animal Welfare Approved will audit AGA members for both AGA standards and Animal Welfare Approved standards. This new partnership begins immediately. "Our standards require pasture and/or range access, which aligns us philosophically with the American Grassfed Association, an organization that protects and promotes grassfed producers and grassfed products," remarked Gunther. "We are looking forward to a long and…
Maveric Heritage Ranch Needs Your Support Following Tragic Barn Fire
On November 19, one of our farm families suffered a tragic barn fire caused by an electrical malfunction. We ask that you hold them in your thoughts as they struggle to care for the surviving animals and work to repair damage caused by the fire. Arie McFarlen of Maveric Heritage Ranch Co. raises Mulefoot hogs and other rare breeds with her husband Bret Kortie in Dell Rapids, South Dakota. They have worked for ten years preserving rare breeds, and are…
