In the past few years there has been a shift in the mindset of the consumer when it comes to food production. Science, it seems, is no longer an acceptable answer to the how and why of management practices. A number of retailers have taken advantage of this and have further influenced public opinion with advertising that is emotionally charged and less than 100% honest.
It can be difficult to address the emotional side of food animal production; especially when we try to keep some of the emotion out of the equation. A month ago I found myself in that position when talking about turkeys with a young lady. Her concern was if the animal had a happy life. My knee jerk reaction was frustration, but after taking a moment, I flipped the question and asked what constitutes a happy life? She didn’t have an answer and I would assume that many of those wanting to know the same wouldn’t either. That got me thinking, what constitutes a happy life for an animal? Can that even be measured and whose standards should be used?
We can get pretty technical with the answer, pointing to research with data on cortisol levels for various production types. However, that’s getting science involved again and you’ll lose the target audience after the first sentence. This discussion has to center on animal behavior and relating that back to human emotion.
What we can use as measures of happiness or contentment? First we need to remember that cattle are prey animals. As such, they can be nervous, watchful and wary of anyone or anything coming into their environment. Therefore, cattle with their heads down, grazing or loafing in the shade, chewing their cud with eyes half closed would be animals with little to fear. They have a safe feeling about their environment and that can be our measure of contentment. Of course it is easy to imagine that cattle are more content in a pasture. So what about a confinement setting? The same measures apply here. You can see cattle loafing on a mound or in the shade, chewing their cud. They might even be playing ‘king of the hill.’ Again, those are animals that have little fear within their environment and are content.
It’s not always easy to explain the how and why of modern cattle production. We can’t get by with ‘because,’ or ‘that’s what the research says’ anymore. Consumers are more and more concerned with the how rather than the why. However, if we take a step back, pause to think, we can find effect and satisfactory answers and start a conversation rather than an argument. During beef month, take time to observe your cattle and think about how you can answer the happy life question, should it be posed to you.
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