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Tag: welfare

  • Food (with added equine) for thought

    (horse) burgers?
    Princess Anne has suggested that the British attitude to eating horsemeat needs to change.

    For a nation of horse lovers, the discovery of equine DNA in food products earlier this year was horrifying. It caused nationwide outrage, with many people sickened that they may have unknowingly consumed meat from the same species as their beloved pets and, in many cases, best friends.

    But are we just being a bit squeamish about the whole situation?

    During a speech at the World Horse Welfare annual conference, Princess Anne – president of both the charity and the Pony Club – suggested that the British attitude to eating horsemeat needs to change.

    With 7,000 equines at risk of abandonment and neglect this winter, could an active horsemeat industry in this country change things?

    The prices of horses have plummeted, meaning some may be worth more as meat. If the choice was between selling the animals for meat or being exposed to starvation, slaughter certainly becomes the kinder option. The Princess Royal inferred that the prospect of selling horses for meat may increase the value of the animals, helping to reduce the number of welfare cases.

    horsemeat quoteShe further claimed the issue with the horsemeat scandal was not the presence of the horse DNA, but the lack of honesty in what is going into our food. If the food were labelled correctly, would Brits be more inclined to eat products containing horsemeat?

    If the Princess Royal is willing to debate the idea, then perhaps we should rethink our attitudes towards horsemeat.

    The question is, regardless of the positive impact a meat industry may have on welfare of equines throughout the country, could Brits ever truly get over the uncomfortable thought of eating them?

    I know I couldn’t.

    As vet students, we are taught about humane slaughter of different species and meat inspection; some of us may well find ourselves working in abattoirs in the future. Are we soon going to have to learn about slaughter of horses too?

  • Welfare inside out

    A sow nursing her piglets in a farrowing crate.
    A sow nursing her piglets in a farrowing crate.

    As vet students, welfare is always being rammed down our throats – and rightly so (even after only two weeks of first year). As future veterinary professionals it will be part of our job to ensure the welfare of the animals entrusted to our care.

    Deciding what is “the right thing” to do can often be tricky, as there is never a straight black and white answer. Knowing whether an animal’s welfare is at risk is often down to individual opinion and, therefore, relies on experience.

    There is a famous quotation: “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.”

    I believe this applies to evaluating welfare. Often, from the outside, without understanding the reasons behind particular procedures or practices, it’s easy to think from a first impression that something is cruel or unnecessary. But, in reality, there is usually a good reason for these practices, particularly in the production industry.

    In one welfare lecture, we were made to believe that keeping sows in farrowing crates was cruel. The sow has little room to lie down, she can’t turn round and may bite the bars of the crate in frustration, resulting in mouth sores. But what about the piglets she is about to farrow? It is their welfare that is protected by keeping her in the crate. The crate prevents her rolling on them, allowing them to suckle without the danger of getting squashed. What good is giving a sow more room if it results in half a litter of dead piglets?

    A humane twitch: a useful aid for difficult horses, especially when clipping around horse's head and performing other 'frightening' tasks.
    A humane twitch: a useful aid for difficult horses, especially when clipping around horse’s head and performing other ‘frightening’ tasks.

    On the same note, coming from a pig farming background, I have seen pigs kept in pens of about five, instead of staying in the open pen, opting themselves to lie in the feeding crates if they’ve been left open (not at feeding time). Confining a pig to a small space may seem cruel from the outside, but is it really, when the pigs will lie in feeding crates out of choice, probably to keep cool and avoid fighting with the others in the pen?

    Another example of a misunderstood practice is twitching a horse. Twitches may be made of rope or metal, and can look horrific when being used, since they are twisted tightly around the horse’s muzzle.

    An outsider would not understand that the twitch is designed to pinpoint a pressure point that induces release of endorphins. Consequently, this calms the horse and is a very useful technique when the horse is being difficult to handle during clipping or other veterinary procedures, and avoids the use of sedatives.

    Assessment of welfare is very much based on individual opinion. Personally, I have had little experience with dairy farming so might at first think that some procedures are cruel when I set out on EMS in the summer. But it’s important to remember to stand back and understand the reasoning behind the actions of those who handle the animals every day before prejudging an establishment based on what you see or think you are seeing to begin with.