University of Oxford Zoology Department
Around the world, the livestock sector employs 1.3 billion people and provides one-third of humanity’s protein intake, says Roland Bonney, Director of the Food Animal Initiative (FAI).
“Each week, 24 million pigs are slaughtered, 884 million poultry, 6 million cattle and 17 million sheep and goats,” he told a group of international food and farming journalists visiting FAI Farms. “Between 1980 and 2004 livestock production in developing countries increased by 300%, with 42% of global meat production now coming from China and 12% from Brazil.”
Intensive production accounted for about 70% of this annual growth, as livestock farming continues to move from marginal land with mixed cropping to intensive or landless production.
“The issue is that consumers want to think of animals grazing or chickens running free – but the reality is that intensification is increasing,” he said. “In China, for example, they have three layers of laying hens in cages of eight birds, just to meet demand for eggs.”
But there is an alternative. Mr Bonney advocated farming according to the “three Es” – environment – the challenge of climate change and the fact that farming is the biggest polluter; economics – food must be affordable; and ethics – the consumer wants safe food.
FAI’s slogan – “Environments fit for animals fit for their environment” – requires that producers look to the wild antecedents and the natural genetics of the animals they farm. Chickens, for example, came from the dry jungles of Indo-China and the birds are still “hard-wired” to survive in that environment. So if you put chickens in an open field, they will range only a short distance from their housing – but if you put them into a shaded woodland setting their environment supports the behavioural need, the birds stay calmer, there is less injurious pecking – and better production levels.
“Similarly, the wild white Chillngham cattle of Northumberland, which have been maintained in their original environment for more than 500 years, have very few incidences of calving problems when left to self-select,” Mr Bonney added.
He cited the intensive producers’ use of double-muscled cattle which led to a boom in caesarean births, compared with the easy-calving long-lived milky cattle of the French Salers breed, where only two calvings in 400 required veterinary assistance.
“Animal behaviour is a new science which changes the dynamics of farming,” Mr Bonney said. “Billions of dollars have been invested in developing industrial agriculture – but it is now a low-margin business suffering from a lack of investment in sustainable systems.
“Now collaboration is necessary between those with the will and the skills to tackle the problems: to motivate farmers; work with leading scientists who can help change attitudes to stock management; with food producers and retailers who have the power to effect change through animal welfare programmes driven by the power of consumer concern; with non-governmental organisations and with national and international governments to drive policy changes.”
Mr Bonney then reviewed issues of animal welfare in beef finishing, pigs and poultry.
“Most cattle are genetically horned – but horns are no longer necessary so they are burned off under anaesthesia ... a costly and difficult process which in the 21st century should no longer be necessary as we should be selecting for polled genes,” he said. “Similarly, cattle housing was never designed for cattle – it was designed by engineers – and feeding regimes were developed which took little account of the animals’ need for a high-fibre diet. Address all these issues and you have more contented cattle which reach their target weight just as effectively as those in an intensive system.
“Similarly, moving pigs into a ‘forest floor’ system of open covered housing on a woodchip flooring immediately allowed them to exhibit natural behaviours leading to a cessation of tail biting and obviating the need for tooth clipping and tail docking – while producing consistently good eating quality pork.
“Now FAI can go to farmers looking to make a new investment in pig production and, as a result of its research, can provide a ‘turnkey’ package of complete design, build, training management, finance and marketing for the new system,” Mr Bonney said.
“We cannot ignore the needs of a rapidly growing human population – but we can develop practical solutions to feeding them in a way which is sustainable and which provides for the welfare of the animal as well as the welfare of the planet,” he added.