Regenerative farming and animal welfare is taking the food industry by storm
By Robin Brunet
Regenerative farming is often cited as vital to the welfare of animals and the planet; but how does it actually work?
Enter Alberta-based Kelly Long. She, her husband Pieter Spinder, and partner Doug Griller follow a strict code of regeneration in that the food they produce must be good for consumers, good for animals, and good for the planet. And they do so by presiding over 10,000 acres of grazing land in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, across which 5,000 bison roam freely until their slaughter.
Their company, Noble Premium Bison, is a prime example of how regeneration can function practically. “The bison lead natural lives and in turn make the grazing lands thrive,” Long says.
Noble Premium Bison contributes to environmental sustainability in that bison churn up soil and push down grass seeds. Their manure is fertilizer, and they neither graze to the quick nor eat flowers, which makes subsequent grassland stronger and nurturing for bees and other insects. “This is in stark contrast to animals being confined and using fertilizer on farmland,” Long says, adding that grasslands eventually disappear if they don’t contain grazing animal herds.
The efforts of regenerative farmers such as Long are paying off in that many of today’s domestic cattle ranchers are trying to replicate with cattle and other herbivores what bison herds once did across North America naturally. And from a business perspective, Noble’s farming practices have resulted in Sobeys, Safeway, Federated Co-op and many other mainstream retailers stocking Noble Premium Bison meat, the only bison meat in Canada sold nationally.
In short, regenerative farming can be a win-win situation: good for animals and the environment as well as business. For example, the ethics driving Noble Premium dovetail with Safeway’s commitment to regenerative farming and animal welfare: the retail giant for over a decade has worked with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) and regional animal welfare councils to ensure that animals are raised, transported and processed using procedures that are clean, safe and free from cruelty, abuse, or neglect.
The overarching goal to do things better and cleaner is hardly confined to cattle: it is being applied with considerable success to Canada’s poultry industry, once the target of animal activists but now a shining example of how the Chicken Farmers of Canada’s 2,800 farmers produce the right amount of fresh, safe, high-quality chicken.
Specifically, Chicken Farmers of Canada created an auditable Raised by a Canadian Farmer animal care program designed to demonstrate and maintain the high animal care standards of the country’s chicken farms. All farmers adhere to the same high standards of the program, which is based on the National Farm Animal Care Council’s (NFACC) Canadian Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Chickens, Turkeys and Breeders from Hatchery to Processing Plant.
The program has received support from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and among other things it ensures proper living conditions, handling and care as well as minimal stress on chickens during loading. “Farmers are third-party audited annually to ensure they meet the requirements of the program, and 100 percent of Canadian chicken farmers are certified on the program,” says Lauren Kennedy, director of public affairs and communication for Chicken Farmers of Canada.
Kennedy’s organization also invests annually in poultry research via the Canadian Poultry Research Council. Since 2010 a number of studies have been funded to improve the transportation process, and study areas have included: weather impact on birds, risk factors during transport, and moisture as a hindrance/guide to transport.
Kennedy points out that environmental stewardship goes hand in hand with animal welfare. “We found that over the last 40 years, Canadian chicken farmers have adopted practices on the farm to reduce our environmental impact, resulting in 37 per cent lower carbon footprint, 37 per cent reduction in non-renewable energy consumption, and 45 per cent less water consumption,” she says. “We also learned that per kilogram of protein, the carbon footprint of Canadian chicken is lower than that of other livestock commodities produced in North America.”
With an eye to the future, the Chicken Farmers of Canada recently developed a new three-year strategic plan that expands its focus on sustainability. “It’s called the Five Principles of Sustainability,” Kennedy says. “These ‘Five Ps’ will drive the sector in protecting bird health and welfare; producing safe chickens; preserving the environment; ensuring prosperity for the Canadian chicken sector; and promoting social responsibility.”
It has been estimated that interest in regenerative farming has surged by 138 percent since 2019 as international conglomerates recognise its industry-revolutionising value. But from the grass roots perspective of companies such as Noble Premium Bison and organizations such as Chicken Farmers of Canada, it along with animal welfare harkens back to the way food cultivation used to be – and is a logical and profitable step forward.
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