A four-day study tour in the Netherlands showed animal science professor Tina Widowski that the Canadian food animal industry faces some of the same challenges as its European counterparts – and that solutions working in the Netherlands may provide ideas and inspiration for Canada.
Widowski is director of U of G’s Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare and was one of five Canadians invited by the ministry of economic affairs for the Netherlands to visit some of the country’s farms, businesses and grocery stores in early December. “We had tours and presentations from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” says Widowski.
The visit focused on poultry and pig farms. “As in Canada, consumers living in an urban population in the Netherlands often don’t know where their food comes from. European food producers are also dealing with new regulations related to the environment and to animal welfare,” Widowski explains.
She says some of Holland’s large-scale farms have addressed this by constructing viewing areas with glass windows so visitors can see how the animals are being kept. One large pig farm, for example, was built with glass windows next to a bike trail. (Cycling is a popular activity in the Netherlands.) Thanks to innovative air-scrubbing equipment, there is none of the odour typically associated with pig farming, and the facility also has a visitor’s centre for those who want to learn more.
The Rondeel egg farms, where laying hens are kept cage-free, also welcome visitors and provide information about how eggs are produced and graded. Widowski was impressed by how this approach continued right into the grocery stores; eggs from the Rondeel farms were sold in distinctive round containers with an invitation for shoppers to visit the farms.
Meat, eggs and other animal foods are often sold with a picture of the animal on the container, something that is rarely done in North America, she says. “That was another way of demonstrating to consumers where their food comes from.”
The touring group also met with Wageningen University researchers who help farmers find ways to meet their targets for new animal welfare regulations, reducing antibiotics, lowering emissions and other goals. “It’s a very different system, but one we can learn from,” she says.
Widowski, who is a member of the scientific committees for the National Farm Animal Care Council’s Canadian codes of practice for pigs, poultry and laying hens, says she will not be giving any formal presentations on her experience but intends to discuss the concepts with producers and policy-makers.
“This has given me a better perspective on issues that affect countries around the world, including Canada. It is fascinating to see how a small country that relies on animal agriculture is staying viable in the face of challenges and changes.”