A Better Cattle Industry

The policy I am advocating for is being proposed in the Netherlands by a group called the Animal Freedom Foundation. It calls for a movement for vaccination on all organic farms and it is against exportation, which is selling goods to other countries. The proposals specifically calls for, “vaccination for all cattle at the organic and/or free-range cattle-breeding farms. Complete trace ability of meat, with 4 identifying marks: the country in which the animal was born, the country in which the animal lived, the country in which the animal was slaughtered, and the country in which the meat was processed.” Also, this proposal has a unique characteristic, because it proposes labeling of the meat products in the store, which eventually holds the consumer responsible. The proposal of labeling meat states, “Mentioning on the packing of meat the age in weeks of the animal that was slaughtered. People have to have the choice to buy meat from an animal of a certain age. Mentioning on the packing of meat a score on a welfare scale of the farm on which the animal lived. This welfare scale is based on some twenty features that determine the well-being of the animal. The higher the score, the higher the well-being of the animal during its life.” It would hold the consumer responsible, because they would be imparted with knowledge about the cattle’s life and whether they decide to purchase the meat or not.
The activist group, the Animal Freedom Foundation, has been around for many years, promoting safer practices in the cattle industry. They pride themselves on only supporting only realistic and legitimate solutions for animals rights. They realize there is no quick fix to such a large problem, but there are many things that can be done to move in a more positive direction. Their proposal would help alleviate the misrepresentation of what happens at organic farms, because would be more knowledgeable about what they are purchasing. It would also aide in the safety of the animals on the farm and the products they produce, because they would be vaccinated. We have to be careful though, when giving organic farmers the okay to vaccinate, because they may cheat the system. There would have to strict regulations on what vaccinations they are allowed to give and when. The Animal Freedom Foundation’s proposal would be a huge step towards safer practices in the cattle and meat industry.