Dr. Naomi Botheras, Animal Welfare Extension Specialist, The Ohio State University
The Ohio State University’s 2nd Annual Animal Welfare Symposium was held on November 30 in Columbus. Approximately 350 people came to hear Dr. Temple Grandin and a number of other speakers address farm animal welfare issues of importance to Ohio agriculture.
The event was co-organized by Dr. Naomi Botheras (Department of Animal Sciences) and Dr. Candace Croney (Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine), and co-hosted by the Department of Animal Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine at The Ohio State University, who are partners in the Australian Animal Welfare Science Centre.
The program kicked off with presentations by Dr. Linda Lobao from the School of Environment and Natural Resources at The Ohio State University and Mr. Charlie Arnot from the Center for Food Integrity, who both spoke about results of recent surveys of consumers’ perceptions of farm animal welfare and the implications for Ohio. Dr. Grandin, Department of Animal Sciences at Colorado State University, discussed humane handling of farm animals, including compromised and non-ambulatory animals. Dr. Jan Shearer eloquently presented information about when compromised animals should be euthanized and correct euthanasia techniques. An update on the activities of the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board was also provided by Dr. Tony Forshey, State Veterinarian and member of the Board. The afternoon wrapped up with a panel discussion of industry and professional organization representatives, including Mr. Scott Higgins from the Ohio Dairy Producers Association, describing their latest efforts to address animal welfare issues. Excellent questions and discussions from the audience followed each of the presentations.
Thanks to the Symposium sponsors Bob Evans Farms, Inc., Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, Ohio Veterinary Medical Association, and Osborne Industries. Inc.
Video/audio recordings of all presentations from the Symposium are available to view on-line at: http://vet.osu.edu/preventive-medicine/AnimalWelfareSymposium.
Dr. Temple Grandin
Panel Discussion
A large crowd gathered at the 4-H Center.