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1.
More on Farmed Animal Sentience, Intelligence, and
Capacity for Emotion
In
recent issues of Farmed Animal Watch (see
issue 5-9), we covered several stories on animal
sentience and cognition prompted by the Compassion
in World Farming (CIWF) conference, "From Darwin to
Dawkins: The Science and Implications of Animal Sentience."
The conference, which was held last week, produced
many interesting reports and findings relating to
farmed animal intelligence, learning processes, and
capacity for emotion. A trio of articles from UK publishers
highlights some of the most interesting research findings,
including a recent study in which chickens not only
learned to avoid food that made them feel ill, but
also passed that knowledge onto their offspring. Commenting
on the study, a professor from the same university
(Bristol) said, "What this tells us is that the mother
hen has learnt what food is good and what is bad for
her, that she cares so much for her chicks she will
not let them eat the bad food and she is passing on
to her young what she has learnt. To me that is pretty
close to culture - and an advanced one at that. Chickens
are sentient creatures and have feelings of their
own."
The conference also revealed evidence of complex memories
in many farmed animal species that enables them to
make intellectual and emotional associations with
past experiences. For instance, sheep and cows are
quite adept at recognizing familiar faces and research
has demonstrated that anxious or stressed sheep are
comforted when shown pictures of their flock-mates.
Cows show an ability to learn tasks to obtain food
and show intense excitement when they successfully
solve the task. Pigs will choose their feeding stalls
based on experiences being locked in the stall for
either a short or long amount of time. Examples of
complex memories and associations are also provided
for "broiler" chickens, trout, horses, and other species.
Not surprisingly, such evidence of animal cognition
and sentience is prompting ethicists and animal activists
to call for greater welfare consideration for farmed
(and other) animals.
"Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?" The Times Online, 3/18/05
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1530239,00.html
"Farm Animals 'Need Emotional TLC,'" BBC News, 3/18/05
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4360947.stm
"More than Meats the Eye," The Guardian, 3/17/05
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1438864,00.html
2.
Welfare of California Dairy Cows Assessed by Industry; Dehorning Dairy Calves
Researchers
at the agriculture-focused University of California,
Davis have completed an evaluation of three animal
welfare assessment programs regarding humane treatment
of cows used for dairy production. They evaluated
the following programs and compared results between
them: Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC); Dairy Quality
Assurance Center (DQAC); and University of California-Davis
(UCD). Compliance with the assessment programs was
highest with HFAC standards (94%) and lowest for the
DQAC standards (83%). The programs were also used
to assess and rank 10 commercial dairy operations
in California, and the three programs resulted in
significantly different rankings. Nonetheless, in
each case the two lowest-ranking dairy operations
were the same, suggesting that all three programs
similarly identified the most egregious welfare concerns.
The full article is published in the April 2005 edition
of the Journal of Dairy Science (JDS).
Another article from the same issue of JDS covers
research on the dehorning of calves using either caustic
paste or a hot iron in combination with sedatives
and local anesthetics. Head shaking and head rubbing
behaviors were used to determine how much pain and
discomfort experienced by the calves for the four-hour
period following each procedure. While a local anesthetic
appeared not to reduce pain from dehorning, the combination
of a sedative and use of the caustic paste seemed
to produce the best results. According to the study
abstract, "These results indicate that dehorning with
caustic paste combined with a sedative results in
less pain to calves than dehorning with a hot iron
combined with a sedative and a local anesthetic."
"A Comparison of Three Animal Welfare Assessment Programs on California Dairies," JDS, April 2005
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/4/1595?etoc
"Calf Response to Caustic Paste and Hot-Iron Dehorning Using Sedation With and Without Local Anesthetic," JDS, April 2005
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/88/4/1454?etoc
3.
Research and California Legislation on Slaughter of
"Spent" Hens
Ongoing
research by Alberta (Canada) scientists into the effectiveness
of stunning methods for "spent" hens indicates that
mobile electrocution units have paltry success rates
for killing birds humanely. Spent hens are older,
more fragile layer chickens who no longer produce
sufficient numbers of eggs to satisfy intensive farming
requirements. The humane treatment and disposal of
spent hens are challenging in part because the birds'
physical conditions make transporting the animals
very difficult. Many egg farmers, therefore, are slaughtering
the hens on-site using electrocution or controlled
atmosphere stunning. New research from Alberta Agriculture
Food and Rural Development show that mobile electrocution
units have very high failure rates, with nearly 9%
of hens surviving the process. Additionally, the electrocution
process resulted in a large number of fractures -
nearly 90% of all birds electrocuted experienced bone
fractures of some sort. By comparison, the controlled
atmosphere stunning method, using carbon dioxide and
ensuring consistent flow rates, resulted in a 0% failure
rate and no bone fractures among the hens. Such a
stark contrast between the methods obviously has significant
implications for the welfare of spent hens, which
has been a growing concern lately among animal advocates.
Several groups in California, including Animal Place,
the Animal Protection Institute, United Poultry Concerns,
Viva! USA, and others, are asking their members to
support a state bill requiring the humane slaughter
of spent hens. SB 662 (California) would include the
currently unprotected animals in the state's 1990
Methods of Slaughter law.
"Disposing of Spent Laying Hens is Increasingly a Challenge," Alberta Farm Animal Care, 3/21/05
http://www.afac.ab.ca/research/species/Articles/spenthens.htm
"Alberta Champions Spent Hen Welfare with New
Euthanasia System," Alberta Egg Producers/Alberta
Farm Animal Care, 3/21/05
http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/animalnet/2005/3-2005/animalnet_march_21-2.htm#story5
Action Alert: "Stop the Inhumane Slaughter of Poultry in California," Animal Protection Institute, 3/16/05
http://api4animals.org/865.htm
4. Johns Hopkins Study Finds Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Retail Poultry Products
A
study supported by the Johns Hopkins Center for a
Livable Future and the Heinz Family Foundation shows
that antibiotic-resistant bacteria are prevalent in
retail chicken products, but that the levels differ
by brand. The study focused on Campylobacter, a pathogen
responsible for 2.4 million US food-related illnesses
each year, and the antibiotic fluoroquinolone (FQ).
One year after major US poultry producers announced
that they would stop using FQ in their processes,
Johns Hopkins scientists initiated a study showing
high residual levels of the antibiotic. Specifically,
the researchers found that the presence of FQ-resistant
Campylobacter pathogens varied significantly by brand,
with nearly all of the tested products from Tyson
foods (96%) testing positive for contamination. By
comparison, 43% of products from Perdue Farms, 13%
of those from Bell and Evans, and 5% of those from
Eberly were contaminated. According to the study's
authors, "These results suggest that FQ-resistance
may persist in the food supply for a substantial period
of time even after antibiotic use is discontinued.
Assuming that what we are observing are lingering
resistant strains rather than the result of continued
drug use, then one has to conclude that fluoroquinolone
use in poultry production presents a long-term threat
to people."
The study also found that any type of Campylobacter
(resistant and non-resistant strains) is highly prevalent
in poultry, with at least 54% of the tested retail
products from all four brands showing signs of the
pathogen. Again, however, there were differences between
brands and types of products, including differences
between brands that use antibiotics with their chickens
versus those who claim they do not. Many in the industry
claim that the use of antibiotics reduces the amount
of pathogens found in retail poultry products, but
the current study indicates otherwise. Surprisingly,
the flesh from birds supposedly not treated with antibiotics
showed no greater likelihood of containing Campylobacter,
and the lowest incidence of the pathogen was found
among products from untreated animals. The study authors
say that more research is needed "to accurately measure
the prevalence of FQ-resistant Campylobacter in the
food supply and to identify the factors contributing
to their presence."
"Study Links Drug-Resistant Bacteria on Poultry Products to Antibiotic Use," Meatingplace.com, 3/22/05
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/init.asp?iID=13989
"Drug-Resistant Bacteria on Poultry Products Differ by Brand," JHSPH, 3/16/05
http://www.jhsph.edu/PublicHealthNews/Press_Releases/2005/Price_campylobacter_chicken.html
FULL REPORT: "Fluoroquinolone-Resistant Campylobacter Isolates from Conventional and Antibiotic-free Chicken Products," Environmental Health Perspectives, 2/2/05
http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2005/7647/abstract.html
5.
Upcoming Farmed Animal Events: Next Three Months
For
a complete list of upcoming events, visit http://www.farmedanimal.net/events.htm.
Grassroots Animal Rights Conference 2005
March 31 through April 3, 2005, New York City, New York
The Grassroots Animal Rights Conference is intended to bring animal advocates together to "network, strategize, and learn the skills necessary to create a more compassionate world." Topics range from general animal protection to planning vegetarian events and conducting open rescues. For more details and a complete list of speakers and workshops, please visit the site below.
http://www.grassrootsar.org/
NIAA Annual Meeting: Protecting the Global Food Supply
April 7, 2005, St. Paul, Minnesota
The US-based National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA), an organization devoted to promoting animal farming, will host a one-day symposium entitled "Protecting the Global Food Supply: Growing Concerns for Emerging Zoonotic Diseases." The event will feature speakers and presentations designed to share knowledge about zoonotic diseases prevalent among farmed animals, and steps taken to mitigate those risks and protect the human food supply.
http://www.animalagriculture.org/annual_meeting/Annual_Meeting.asp
Compassion for Animals Action Symposium
April 16-17, 2005, Alachua, Florida
The 6th annual Compassion for Animals Action Symposium is a two-day event designed as a regional gathering of animal activists in the Southeastern US. For more information, visit the site below.
http://www.vegetarianevents.com/events.htm
Animals in History: Studying the Not So Human Past
May 19-21, 2005, Cologne, Germany
Sponsored by the German Historical Institute, "Animals in History" will examine society's diverse uses of animals, including "animals in agriculture and the production of the material world" and the "industrialization of animal bodies." Visit the link below for more information about the conference.
http://www.ghi-dc.org/conferences/animalsinhistory_cfp.html
6. Other Items of Interest
"Report Raises Questions About US Cattle Feed Ban," Planet Ark / Reuters, 3/15/05
A report from the US Government Accountability
Office (GAO) states that the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) has been "overstating" the beef industry's compliance
with the 1997 ban on using cow parts in animal feed.
The FDA has been claiming a compliance rate of 99%,
but the GAO says they have no basis for that claim,
and further suggests that the FDA has not even done
the basic work of testing samples of different feed
products.
http://www.planetark.com/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=29941
"Asia 'Wakes Up' to Animal Welfare," BBC News, 3/17/05
Despite laws in Asian countries that are less
favorable to animals generally, and particularly farmed
animals, research shows that people in the region
have rhetorical feelings toward animals that are comparable
to people elsewhere. In a study conducted by the International
Fund for Animal Welfare, 90% of Chinese, South Korean,
and Vietnamese respondents believe "we have a moral
duty to minimize (animal) suffering." A similar poll
in the UK yielded agreement from 92% of respondents.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4357527.stm
"The Other Red Protein," The Washington Post, 3/20/05
A Washington Post article suggests that meat
consumption is on the rise in a possible "counter-counter-revolution,"
as evidenced by the eating habits of residents of
Takoma Park, near Washington, DC. But one expert suggests
that the perceived boost of energy that so-called
failed vegetarians feel when eating meat is only psychological.
According to Stephen Havas, an epidemiology professor
at the University of Maryland and an omnivore, "Physicians
knowledgeable about nutrition literature know that
not eating meat is healthier than eating meat."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A50147-2005Mar19.html
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