The Rural Voice, 2003-11, Page 12isom
Jeffrey Carter
Farmers need to respond to negative headlines
Jeffrey
Carter is a
freelance
journalist
based in
Dresden,
Ontario.
The headline on the front page of
the London Free Press on October 15
—"Pigs Found Dead, Dying" —
must have been a shock to any farmer
reading the newspaper.
According to the article, seven
people associated with Wood Lynn
Farms have been charged with nearly
80 offences after approximately
10,000 pigs were found dead or dying
at six different locations in
Southwestern Ontario.
Officials with the Ontario Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (OSPCA) found: heaps of
dead pigs behind barns; nearly 2,000
dead piglets in manure tanks, sows
giving birth among other animals,
extensive cannibalization; dead
piglets eaten by rats; and carcasses in
various stages of decomposition.
"All the animals were in some form
of distress." the Free Press quoted
Mike Draper, OSPCA chief
inspector.
While farmers may be in shock,
their bigger concern should be the
reaction of the people who eat pork –
or any type of meat, for that matter.
I'm one of those people.
My first reaction upon reading the
article revolved around my family's
own eating patterns. Might some of
the pork we have purchased at the
supermarket in the past been tainted?
Even if the meat was safe, have I
been supporting what is essentially a
corrupt industry?
Those two questions may be
premature. illogical and unfair but
they were still rattling around my
brain after I read the article. I know
I'll think twice before I purchase my
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8 THE RURAL VOICE
next piece of pork and I may even go
directly to a farmer I know and buy a
side.
My reaction comes from somone
raised on a farm where we killed our
own animals for food. Imagine the
reaction of people who have no
understanding of farming. the kind
people who. until this point haven't
truly understood that the hot dogs and
hamburgers they've been eating once
moved around on four legs.
Ultimately, the farm community in
Ontario will need to look inward with
a discerning eye and start asking
questions. Here are five:
• How long should a serious
problem be evident on the farm of a
friend, neighbour or acquaintance
before you speak up'?
• Might a better mechanism be put
into place that would allow livestock
owners to come forward with their
problems before a crisis situation
develops?
• Should legislative measures
requiring regular on-farm inspections
be introduced to ensure that livestock
producers in Ontario meet a
minimum set of standards when it
comes to animal care?
• Should the penalties for the abuse
of animals be stiffened?
• Should producers, concerned with
the direction the pork industry is
headed, set up their own system of
quality assurance?
I think a self-regulatory system is
something producers may be able to
swallow, if they're allowed that
option.
The successful Ontario Corn -Fed
Beef program comes to mind. It's
more about beef quality than animal
welfare but it's the kind of model that
has merit and could be used as a
starting point to bring positive change
within the farming industry.0
The Rural Voice
welcomes your opinions for
our Feedback letters to the
editor column.
Mail to: The Rural Voice,
PO Box 429,
Blyth, ON NOM 1H0