The Lucknow Sentinel, 1996-03-13, Page 450
Farm Progrrs `96' Pmue 29
Bob McNeil cares for a herd. of 80 Holsteins on' his farm north of Goderich. He says 70
per cent: of any cow's; production is directly ,attributable to the,comfort of the animal.
(Blake Patterson photo)
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os
Last year,, a woman
jogger in California was,
attacked and killed bya
mountain lion. The inci-
dent orphaned two chit
dren and two lion .nubs, and
since then, fund-raising efforts
have raised twice as much
money for the cubs as they have
"for the children. "That's the kind
of world we live in .today," said
Jim Magee, chairman of the
Ontario.Farm Animal Council:
Magee visited the OM A
office in. Clinton in January to
give area farmers some ammu-
nition in an ever -escalating bat.,
tiewith the misinformation of
animal rights groups taking aim.
at animal agriculture.
"We have to take them seri-
ously;" said Magee. "They play
on human emotions, and they
are finding success because they
offer black and whitesolutions
to grey issues."
Issues such• as the caging of:
laying hens, the close confin-
anent of sows, the dehorning of
cows, the tdeteething cif baby.
pigs, the risk of chemical
residues in the meat supply, the
production of veal, and any hus-
bandry methods whieh inflict
unnecessary suffering on ani -
s. societies with an extremist men-.
.ar;er o
w fs he
44.
society isvery much removed
from the reality of what's going
on in modern. farm operations,
-and urban ignorance is fertile
.,ground . for : animal rights
activists. "It, is easier to believe.
a simple lie than. a•complicated
truth;" he said
The • Ontario Patin' Animal
Council (O;FAC.)` vas estab3
fished' in 1988 to support and:
promote the responsible produc-
tion and marketing of livestock:
and' poultry, and to inform the
public about modern agriculture
and food Production:
And as the
animal rights movements has
grown in size andpolitical
power over the fast few. years,
OFACs biggest challenge has
been to 'refute a message which
says .farmers ;have become- little
more than the dupes .of the
chemical companies and not
unlike the Nazis- who -ran ,death
camps during the Second World
° War...
According to Magee, there .
are now more than 100 animal
nights groups targeting, agricul-
ture and infiltrating humane
`Magee said today's: urban
tality it which borders n
terrorism .
Within the last six
months ' for ,example,
Magee said 5.8 ,milk
trucks have been 'fire
bombed in England, and the
dean of a veterinarian; college in
'Tennessee was murdered .by
activists which threatened to
keep killing veterinarians until
their demands for animal rights
were met.
He said these activist groups
are insidious and dangerous, but
he added the battle can only be.
won by making. sure people
understand modern farming, by
promoting. communityinitia-
tives such ass -farm tours, and by
continuing to work toward pre-
venting animal cruelty in all its
forms.
Local farmer Bob McNeil
said people , shouldrealize any
farmer would be foolish not to
keep their animals ascomfort-
able as possible. '
"There is "iio profit in it," he
said _"and.. that's ::the .4 bottom
dine.
McNeil,
who for : herd
of lip •hot tains on- his „farms;
north of Goderich, ;said 70 peri
nt of any, cow's production P.
directly attributable to the ; om
,ce
fort of. the. animal. a said
•turnto page 3D
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