Westland/Hallmark, of the famous “downer cow” footage, has nothing on this one.

I got an email a few days ago with a link to footage taken at a Vermont slaughter plant. I often receive videos depicting horrific animal treatment, but this one stood out. The footage I was sent showed veal calves—only days old—unable to walk or stand on their own, repeatedly kicked, slapped and shocked.

Once again, we have sickening proof that there are people who just don’t get it. In a civilized society we have to do things right. The USDA, despite the industry’s best efforts, does have rules that cover some parts of a slaughter plant operation. Slaughter plants that operate like this can’t hide anymore. People are no longer satisfied with being spoon-fed lies about production practices that are “in our best interests”; the consumer is educated, interested and is paying attention.

As Program Director for Animal Welfare Approved, a free third-party food label that certifies family farms raising their animals outdoors using high-welfare practices, I generally sit out ballot box battles over farm animal welfare. Our efforts at Animal Welfare Approved focus on supporting sustainable family farms, high-welfare production and consumer education.

So the fact that I’m going to ask Ohioans to vote against Issue 2 this coming Tuesday will seem unusual to those who know me and my organization. But the case is clear. Our farmers are telling me that Issue 2 is not what it seems and attention should be paid.

The basic problem with Issue 2 is summed up by Animal Welfare Approved farmer Dennis Adams of Cota Farms in Cardington. He says: “Issue 2 is not about farm animals, it’s about control. The measure is a fake, a sham.”

Program Director Andrew Gunther announced yesterday that Animal Welfare Approved has certified the first two family farms supplying beef and dairy to Pacific Natural Foods. “We are so pleased that Pacific Natural Foods has chosen Animal Welfare Approved to audit and certify its family farms, demonstrating its commitment to high welfare farming. We look forward to an ongoing collaboration as we work towards certifying the other family farms that supply Pacific Natural Foods.”

With certification, Pacific Natural Foods will begin rolling out various products with the Animal Welfare Approved seal, the first AWA products to be widely available in supermarkets across the nation. “Products from sustainable, humane family farms are expanding from farmers’ markets to supermarkets,” Gunther said. “The movement has been a true grassroots effort between consumers and farmers, and Pacific Natural Foods and its farmers are the next step in the evolution of the marketplace.”

The October 4, 2009 New York Times story, “E. coli Shows Flaws in Beef Inspection,” is a chilling reminder to the public that we gamble unknowingly with our health every day, even when safer, viable options to the current systems are readily available.

The Times story follows a convoluted and widespread chain of production that ended with hamburger contaminated with the virulent E. coli strain O157:H7 being sold to the public, leaving one young woman paralyzed and more than 900 others ill. The story recounts the secrecy, obfuscation, and duplicity that processors engage in to avoid testing beef for E. coli and to protect a system that gives rise to tainted beef.

Willie Nelson appeared on CNN yesterday, talking about Farm Aid and the struggle of America’s family farms. In this clip, he also performs a new song to be premiered at Farm Aid, which he co-authored with Bob Dylan. Animal Welfare staff members and three Animal Welfare Approved farmers are on hand at Farm Aid this weekend to spread the word about the benefits of pasture-based farming and high-welfare standards. Hope to see you at the Homegrown Village and at tonight’s Farm Aid Eve dinner where all of the pork and beef served will be from AWA farmers Fudge Family Farms (pork) and American Grass Fed Beef. Photo: Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. 2008

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Many people have become familiar with Bryan Voltaggio as one of the dynamic season six competitors on Bravo’s Top Chef—but did you also know he’s a committed supporter of humane farming and serves Animal Welfare Approved lamb at VOLT, his highly regarded Frederick, Maryland restaurant?

Animal Welfare Approved recently joined AWA farmer Craig Rogers on his delivery run to VOLT (Craig supplies VOLT’s lamb) and had the opportunity to speak to Chef Bryan about the program and its farmers. “Chef Bryan was excited to meet with us and hear about our mission,” reports Beth Hauptle, Director of Marketing and Public Relations. “He is interested in offering more Animal Welfare Approved products on his menu and we were able to put him in touch with additional Animal Welfare Approved farmers.”

Animal Welfare Approved is proud to have Chef Bryan among the chefs who enthusiastically support our program.

We at Animal Welfare Approved applaud the USDA and HHS for creating an important and useful new website, www.foodsafety.gov. The site’s purpose is to help consumers find consolidated up to date information on food safety and food recalls.

We want to remind our readers that food safety begins at the farm and is directly related to the farming system utilized. Between January 1, 1994 and November 31, 2007, over 800 separate meat product recalls took place across the United States – equivalent to over 300 million pounds of meat and poultry products. Nearly all of the recalls were the result of the potential contamination of factory-farmed meats with two types of food-poisoning bacteria: Listeria and E. coli.

We know that a safer, welfare-friendly alternative to feedlot beef already exists. Scientists have shown that meat from grassfed cattle – such as those raised by Animal Welfare Approved farmers – is less likely to harbor dangerous food-poisoning bacteria, such as E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Listeria.

Legislation in the recent farm bill included funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which offers farmers incentives for using sustainable agriculture practices. Specific “enhancement” projects relating to animals and livestock production include: Incorporate Native Grasses and or Legumes into 15% or more of the forage base, Grazing Management to Improve Wildlife Habitat, Monitoring Nutritional [...]

Before working with Animal Welfare Approved I had never even heard of the Fancy Food Show. It seems like such a silly name for a tradeshow, but when you get there you realize it describes it perfectly. Essentially it’s hundreds, if not thousands of exhibitors that want to connect with retailers, manufacterers, distributors, restaurants and chefs. Most of the exhibitors offer lovely samples of their products to the attendees. Thousands of people were scurrying around the Javits Center tasting all of this exceptionally delicious food. For a sense of what people were saying some of the comments heard over and over were: Have you tried the wine flavored sorbet? Where did you get that HUGE Fave yogurt sample? I’m overwhelmed by all the chocolate! There’s so much food here, but I’m still sooo hungry! (referring to the tiny sample sizes this year).

While pork may not have been as popular as chocolate this year, pasture-raised, Animal Welfare Approved products were certainly intriguing to many attendees.