TheDairySite Newsletter - 24 February 2012

Welcome to this week's newsletter

Editorial: The "Ag-gag" Law - Is it Right?

Over the last two years, increasing amounts of undercover footage have become available from livestock units, often showing poor animal handling and welfare.

The footage is usually produced by animal right activists, some of whom aim to promote vegetarianism or veganism.

These films only represents a minority of the industry and they have brought a sharp reaction from farmers, who carry out high-welfare production.

Under pressure to protect their agricultural industries, many states in the US have looked to introduce laws, which would prevent undercover footage being taken on livestock farms and in some states to prevent people taking on jobs under false pretences.

This week, a broad spectrum of national interest groups have signed a statement opposing any proposed "ag-gag" legislation. They believe that this would lead to critical information about the production of milk and meat products being suppressed.

Their statement says: "Not only would these bills perpetuate animal abuse on industrial farms, they would also threaten workers' rights, consumer health and safety, and the freedom of journalists, employees and the public at large to share information about something as fundamental as our food supply. "

Laws have already being passed in Montana, North Dakota and Kansas, with similar proposals in Iowa, New York, Minnesota, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and Utah.

Whilst undercover footage often exposes inexcusable cruelties, it also makes allegations about practices which are legal and acceptable in commercial practices.

Showing these practices to the consumer, without an explanation of why they are carried out is seen as damaging to the industry by many.

But instead of preventing undercover investigations from taking place altogether, should the industry be reaching out to consumers and explaining why certain practices take place? They are in the majority of cases to benefit the animal or the consumer.

On the other end of the scale, undercover footage in abattoirs in Indonesia made the Australian beef industry, consumers and politicians change current practices, which will lead to improved welfare of those animals exported.

Charlotte Johnston

This Week's Feature Articles

We have 4 new features this week:

Developing Dairy Origin Beef Systems
Forty seven per cent of prime beef in Northern Ireland in 2011 came from dairy origin beef, said Dr Francis Lively at the 2012 British Cattle Breeders Conference. With this in mind there is a huge potential for dairy origin beef, writes Charlotte Johnston, TheCattleSite editor.

Global Dairy Outlook: Not Getting any Cheaper
The global dairy market will offer strong growth prospects in the coming five years, but the uneven spread of this market expansion and an era of elevated pricing will create as many challenges as opportunities for key players along the dairy supply chain. This is one of the key conclusions coming out of the Rabobank Food & Agribusiness Research and Advisory report, “Global Dairy Outlook: Show me the money”.

February 2012 Global Market Update
The global economy is losing momentum amid concerns that the Eurozone is on the brink of a second recession in three years, according to the Dairy Situation and Outlook by Dairy Australia.

Dairy Outlook Overview
Milk price is driven by simple economics of supply and demand. United States milk supply continues to increase over time with increased milk output per cow and an expanding cow herd. Demand outlook for dairy products in 2012 is not favorable due to increased global milk supply and minimal growth in national demand, writes Kristen Schulte.