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Dairy farmers assessed by Nestle for treatment of animals in global audit


Nestle is a company known for milk chocolate and infant formula and it wants to be known for improved animal welfare too.

The company has teamed up with World Animal Protection on a global campaign to assess the welfare standards of its suppliers of poultry, pigs and dairy.

Auditors SGS are currently assessing 50 dairies in Tasmania and Victoria.

Those dairy farmers say they do not mind, but they would like more money to fund any changes they make.

“Farm animal welfare is extremely critical to us. We share the concerns of society about how animals are cared for,” said Margaret Stuart, head of corporate relations at Nestle in Oceania.

“We know that robust animal welfare affects the quality and supply of our ingredients.”

Nestle began working with World Animal Protection last year, and gave the organisation a $100,000 donation.

Nestle has commissioned SGS to look at the welfare of livestock around the world, and right now, the auditor is in Australia.

Ms Stuart acknowledged Australia had a high standard of welfare, but said there were areas that could be improved.

“Into the future, we want to look beyond at practices such as dehorning and disbudding without anaesthetic and analgesia, to work with researchers to help us help producers to improve that area of welfare,” she said.

One of the highest profile area of welfare is the slaughter of bobby calves.

But as yet Nestle sees no major alternative.

“We’re aware of the issue, but it’s not part of the program yet,” Ms Stuart said.

“The scale of what we’re trying to do, across literally hundreds of thousands of dairy farms, that may or may not be something that we look at in the future.”

World Animal Protection has developed the assessment being used by auditors SGS.

“We look at the whole range of welfare issues, starting with the breeding of animals and I’m really impressed with the robust type of cows they have in Australia,” said WAP’s corporate engagement manager Martin Cooke, who is travelling to dairies in Tasmania this week for assessments.

“The environment is part of the assessment, and if you ever wanted a vindication of pasture based farming systems, this is it.

“The cows are in very good condition and well suited to the environment here in Tasmania.

“We look at feeding and husbandry methods, and also transport and husbandry where appropriate.”

But Mr Cooke said the main concern was removing horn buds from calves.

“Disbudding, we believe, should be done with local anaesthetic, like when you go to a dentist,” he said.

“In my experience so far, it’s not being done, and it certainly should be done because it makes the job easier.

“I’m a veterinary surgeon and I know I’d rather do it with local anaesthetic from a practical point of view because it hurts and it makes a lot of sense because it makes it a lot easier.”

The Dairy Australia recommendation is to cut, cauterise or freeze the horn bud when the calf is very young.

Dairy farmer John Williams, from Legerwood in north-east Tasmania, was happy with the welfare assessment, and agreed disbudding was the main area for improvement.

“The disbudding we had two years ago wasn’t up to scratch, was the worst we’d had done by a contractor,” he said.

“On one side of the animal there was a little growth of horn.

“They (World Animal Protection) made the comment it was because the animal was fighting the operator and they didn’t do it for long enough.

“I would agree with them. A local anaesthetic would make it better.”

Australian milk goes into Nestle’s dairy nutrition products and chocolate.

Mr Williams wondered if he would get anything extra from complying with the company’s welfare standards.

“Good questions. I did remind them, that when they went back to Nestle to make sure they inform them that these things cost more money to be achieved at farm gate,” he said.

“We may need to see an increase at the farm gate.”

Unfortunately for now, Nestle’s Ms Stuart said, there are no premiums, but greater productivity.

“What we’re looking for from everybody is continuous development and continuous improvement,” she said.

“We know better standards lead to better outcomes for the farmer and us as a business as well.”

Mr Cooke, of World Animal Protection, argued strongly for good animal welfare.

“It’s good for business, it’s good for the communications you can have with your customers, the efficiency of your farm,” he said.

“All ways round, it pays to look after your animals that are really the source of your livelihood.”

Source: ABC Rural


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