Anyone interested in Alberta livestock welfare is encouraged to participate
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) is asking members of the ag community to take a survey for an animal welfare project.
The Livestock Welfare Engagement Project will help Alberta Agriculture evaluate the industry’s experiences, perceptions and priorities related to livestock welfare.
AFAC is conducting the survey on behalf of the provincial government.
Anyone from the ag community with an interest in livestock safety is encouraged to take the online survey, said Melissa Moggy, AFAC’s Livestock Welfare Engagement Project lead.
“We didn’t want to just focus on one aspect of the livestock sector, we wanted to include everyone,” she told Farms.com today. “We’ve included organizations, abattoirs, auction markets, veterinarians and producers.”
Ag students are also asked to participate, she said.
The survey is one part of the overall project.
AFAC will also host focus groups, beginning early in the fall.
The meetings will be held before the online survey window closes on Oct. 31. That October deadline was put in place to give students a fair chance to complete the survey while balancing a school schedule, Moggy said.
These focus groups will give the organization a chance to corroborate its survey results with in-person discussions.
“The meetings will add depth to what we find in the survey,” Moggy said. “We can inform people about what we found and ask them if they agree or disagree (with the results) and their reasons.”
AFAC will compile a final report from the survey results and focus group information. The organization will submit that report to Alberta Agriculture by yearend.
The provincial government will use the information to help the industry continue enhancing animal welfare practices, Moggy said.