I would like to clarify a few points from the recent extensive coverage in Better Farming under the banner of “farm animal welfare.” The coverage sheds light on some problems (actual and perceived) about enforcement issues and specific cases, but isn’t really about farm animal welfare in the broader sense. The reality is that where there’s enforcement, there will be differences of opinion, as many police officers or even our own farm groups have experienced.

I do need to set the record straight about OFAC’s relationship with the OSPCA, which we feel has never been stronger provincially. Disagreeing with some specific humane education references, Web site content and the need for publicity doesn’t represent our whole working relationship.

In the interests of improving actual welfare, we have partnered on many educational programs, including funding a farm animal welfare research database, funding and distributing “should this animal be transported?” charts, livestock transport emergency resources, and co-hosting a forum on farm animal welfare. The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has also been a partner, financially and through staff efforts, in many of these initiatives.

But there is much more work to be done and a new enforcement program for farm animal complaints is needed. As a small farm coalition group, OFAC’s objective is to advance responsible farm animal care. We don’t have the resources or mandate for enforcement or for addressing individual complaints. What we can do is work on some legitimate areas where farm animal welfare needs to be improved. Sometimes education is needed, which is where OFAC’s confidential Helpline works, and sometimes enforcement is needed.

The important thread through all the stories is this. Many of the difficulties and conflicts reported could be prevented or at least reduced if we had a specialized team of farm animal welfare enforcement officers. This needs to be a “made-in-Ontario” model, but could be based on the Alberta Livestock Protection System, with adequate government funding for both education and enforcement.

If your readers agree, they should contact the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services to ask it to fund a farm animal welfare enforcement system that will be good for farmers, good for the OSPCA and good for the farm animals of this province.

Crystal Mackay,
Executive Director,
Ontario Farm Animal Council

Write to:
Senior Staff Editor
Don Stoneman
87 Queen St. East
Cambridge, Ontario
N3C 2A9

phone: 519-654-9106 fax: 519-654-9357
email: dstoneman@betterfarming.com