Animal Welfare

1
Animal Welfare

• Issues
• What Communication?
• A Role for IMS?
• Nils Beaumond
• IMS Marketing Workshop Chicago, May 2009

2
AW A Society Issue

• EU-25 average 7.8Ranging from 9.1 (CY) to 6.9
  (LT and ES)
• 34 gave a 10/10 answer, only 2 a 0/10
• Answers unrelated to social/demographic factors
• (Eurobarometer 270, 2006)

3
Problem Does the Society Know?

• 2/3 of the population claims it knows
• Eurobarometer 229 69 of those polled say they
  have visited a farm raising animals
• Eurobarometer 270 69 of those polled say they
  know a lot (12) or a little (57) about the
  conditions under which animals are farmed
• CIV poll 68 claim they know there is some kind
  of regulation
• But, when challenged, cannot talk about it
• CIV poll only 13 of respondents could cite a
  single regulation provision
• Gap between statements and actual knowledge

4
AW Purchasing Behaviour

• Consumers want more information and claim it
  would give them incentives to change their
  purchasing behaviour
• EU 2005 on line consultationDo you believe that
  a better knowledge of farming practices could
  influence your decisions when purchasing food?
• 89 Yes
• Eurobarometer 270Would you be willing to change
  your usual place of shopping in order to be able
  to buy more animal welfare friendly food
  products?
• 62 Yes
• Good intentions! But
• Those change when challenged on how much more
  they are willing to pay
• 45 only willing to pay more for animal products
  bearing information on welfare conditions in a
  CIV poll
• And, even more important, intentions are always
  different from actual behaviour

5
AW in the Medias

• Frequently in the written press
• Some debates on the radio ("Service public"
  programme on the national radio)
• Usually little TV coverage unless major scandal
• But
• Explosion on the web
• Google "animal welfare" ? 4.7 million results
• NGOs are truly monopolising the debate on the web
• Vegetarian blogs and forums, comments on general
  interest forums, etc.

6
Since the mainstream media seems focused on
keeping truth and reality from readers, now more
than ever, I feel it is up to alternative media
and bloggers to report on the news and issues
that get missed. - Tipping Point blogger
7
Animal Protection is Trendy

• NGOs can count on the support of countless
  celebrities
• PETA ? vegetarians/vegans
• HSUS ? anti "factory farming"
• But how much do those opinion leaders actually
  know about AW and farming conditions?

8
Downstream Operators and AW

• Using AW to enhance their image and gain
  competitive advantages
• Eggs were the first products to be concerned
• Processors e.g. Unilever
• Retailers e.g. Carrefour
• Caterers e.g. Mc Donald's
• Total or partial caged eggs boycott in some
  countries
• Eggs, rabbitmeat, horsemeat, and then
  generalisation to all animal products
• Eggs the change has induced a change in
  production methods
• For rabbitmeat and horsemeat, the aim is to
  boycott all products
• Raw and fresh products strong communication
  vectors to build an image
• Less pressure on industrial processed products
  and groceries

9
NGOs From Animal Protection to Anti-Speciesism
Welfare
Protection
Animal rights
10
NGOs Demands

• Farms reduction in stocking densities, access to
  outer spaces, presence of litter, slow growth
  breeds, ban on non-therapeutical surgery
• Transport 8 hours limitation
• Live markets "urgent reform" needed
• Slaughtering stunning, labelling of meats from
  animals ritually slaughtered
• Abandon of horsemeat consumption
• Animal legal status reform
• Organic or even vegetarian menus in collective
  catering (schools particularly)

11
Insiders Help

• Revolting videos more and more often shot by
  slaughterhouse/livestock market/farm employees
• Unsatisfied workers
• Infiltrated activists, "undercover" agents
• Very powerful and influential "repentant" image

12
NGO Messages

• 3 levels

13
NGO Messages
Animal welfare

• 3 levels
• Care for the animals

14
NGO Messages
Animal welfare

• 3 levels
• Care for the animals
• But there is a limit to what the public may do
  for such a cause

15
NGO Messages
Cancer risk
Animal welfare

• 3 levels
• Care for the animals
• Care for your (and your beloved ones') health

16
NGO Messages
Cancer risk
Animal welfare

• 3 levels
• Care for the animals
• Care for your (and your beloved ones') health
• Care for the planet and future generations

Climate change
17
NGO Messages
Cancer risk
Animal welfare

• 3 levels
• Care for the animals
• Care for your (and your beloved ones') health
• Care for the future generations

Climate change
18
(No Transcript)
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NGO Messages

• More cartridges to come
• Could these pandemics be related to the dramatic
  losses in biodiversity? To the continuing
  reduction in domestic breed numbers? To the
  development of industrial agriculture? To the
  constant decline of natural habitats? To the
  standardisation of the ecosystems, which supports
  the multiplication of organisms with no
  adversaries? Answers are lacking (Le Monde, May
  3-4, 2009)
• Swine flu is intensive pig farming to blame?
  (The Guardian)
• Swine flu and factory farming (U.S. News and
  World Report)

20
What Communication?
21
Three Major Objectives

• Re-establish in the view of both opinion leaders
  and the public what constitutes "standard"
  procedures in all phases of livestock/meat
  production
• Show that the whole industry is aware of its AW
  role and involved in a process of continuing
  improvement
• Mitigate the impact of negative actions and
  images shown by activists
• Prerequisite
• Widespread monitoring scientific, regulatory,
  medias
• Discussion with NGOs
• Know their expectations
• Collaborate rather than fight

22
Two Strategies

• Creation and dissemination of specific documents
  on AW
• Integration of animal welfare and protection
  information into communication activities on
  production systems and activities
• Close relations between AW compliance and issues
  such as
• Food safety control
• Organoleptic qualities of the end product
• Operators know-how and commitment to their trade
• Occupational hazard control
• Avoid being perceived as in a defensive mode
• Avoid being locked in arguments over specific,
  highly mediatised issues
• Aim at "good marks" in each area rather than at
  an excellent one on a single issue with less
  attention devoted to the others!

23
Targets

• The public, especially children and teenagers
• Opinion leaders?
• Teachers
• Others? Difficult to identify
• Press
• More difficult to get media attention on basic
  work
• Politicians
• Intensive lobbying by NGOs

24
Tools

• Documentation
• General public the FR Livestock farming series
  shows farmers expertise and professionalism
• AW
• Animal health monitoring
• Environmental care
• Feeding practices
• Farming systems
• Press kits

25
Tools

• Internet
• CIV site on the Home page, direct access to
• AW heading.
• "History of man and animal relations" heading.
  Collaboration of anthropozoologists
• Text, images and videos
• Specific site for children

26
Tools

• Fairs and shows e.g. Paris Agricultural Show(9
  days 600,000 visitors)
• Stand "Livestock FarmingLand" operators
  explainingtheir day-to-day work
• Specific stand wherechildren could
  interviewprofessionals
• Farm tours
• Real
• Virtual

27
Tools

• Educational activities
• Training sessions in schools nutritional
  balance, meat labelling and livestock farming
• Umbrella stand
• Professional animator
• Distribution of educationalkits
• Partnership with educational websites (e.g. Dico
  des Viandes in FR)
• Provide teachers with resources (definitions with
  text videos) to be used in classrooms
• Allow pupils to discover essential livestock,
  farming, environmental and nutritional notions

28
Tools

• Educational activities
• Training sessions in schools nutritional
  balance, meat labelling and livestock farming
• Umbrella stand
• Professional animator
• Distribution of educationalkits
• Partnership with educational websites (e.g. Dico
  des Viandes in FR)
• Provide teachers with resources (definitions with
  text videos) to be used in classrooms
• Allow pupils to discover essential livestock,
  farming, environmental and nutritional notions

29
Tools

• Networking
• Develop a speak-out program for your company or
  organization
• Use of social medias
• To engage in conversations with people
• People no longer want to be audiences, but active
  participants
• Facebook (26 years)
• Twitter (31 years)
• Blogs (38 years)

30
Tools

• Create news for the press to report on
• E.g. Livestock farming and society "speed dating"
• Meetings with farmers and traders
• Report to inform the media on
• What do consumers worry about?
• What answers can the press provide?
• Let/help others do the "dirty job"
• E.g. The Centre For Consumer Freedom (USA)
• Harsh attacks on PETA

31
(No Transcript)
32
A Role for IMS?
33
Information Collection Exchange

• An April 2007 AW workshop recommendation
• Time and resources?
• Issues
• Positive and negative communication
• NGO violent actions
• Work undertaken by our technical institutes
• International initiatives (OIE, FAO, World Bank)
• Etc.

34
IMS Communication

• Can the IMS have a common position on issues such
  as
• The philosophy of using animals
• The right to kill and eat products of animal
  origin
• Differentiated treatment per species or
  destination of the animals
• The need for common rules and the role of private
  standards
• The need for science as a basis for AW rules
  what science?
• The Universal Declaration on AW
• The attitude towards NGOs promoting vegetarianism
  or veganism
• Etc.

?
35
IMS Communication (2)

• Should the IMS communicate?
• What targets?
• Industry
• Public
• Medias
• How?
• Website
• Giving or sponsoring speeches in congresses (Who?
  What resources?)
• Presence in multinational organisations (At what
  level? Who? What resources?)
• ???