U of G’s Animal Welfare Judging Team
On the weekend of Nov. 18 and 19, I joined undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary coaches and students as part of the University of Guelph’s Animal Welfare Judging Team. Held in Ames, Iowa this year, the Intercollegiate Animal Welfare Judging and Assessment Contest is an annual competition that brings together students from across North America.
Competitors face a compact weekend of evaluating various scenarios, making quick yet informed judgments, and developing an organized speech to present to an expert judge in a very short amount of time. Needless to say, the contest can be quite intense, and so I am incredibly proud to report that U of G brought home numerous awards in all categories.
More important than the awards themselves, however, is the benefit of the experience. Animal welfare is a relatively new topic in the academic world, and newer still to the general public. While students at this year’s competition gained valuable insight and mentorship in this emerging field, in contrast, this very impactful issue is discussed in dismal proportions by the majority of consumers. So, despite our significant consumption of and interaction with animals of every kind, why is welfare such an undiscussed, almost taboo subject? Personally, I think it comes down to two main issues: convenience and ignorance.
In a world of great disconnect between the food on our plate and the manner by which it gets there, it is not surprising that most folks are neither aware of or interested in the welfare of non-humans. Most people could not explain what a farrowing crate is, why brachycephalic (short-nosed) breeds suffer greatly, or how it has been proven that fish feel pain. Exacerbating this problem is the fact that, when consumers are made aware of such issues, heads are quickly placed into the sand. While radical organizations such as PETA grossly misrepresent the actions we need to take, it is crucial to understand the difference between animal welfare and animal rights.Just as consumers find themselves outraged by listeria contamination or child labour, so too should we find ourselves concerned with the mistreatment or neglect of the animals supplying us with much of our nutrition or materials.
Animal welfare is NOT about veganism/vegetarianism or shaming consumers. Many welfare advocates I know are omnivores. But for as long as these animals remain used for the benefit of humans, we owe it to them to provide the best management possible — something that requires a willingness to become educated.
Photo provided by Carleigh Cathcart