The country’s livestock sector is losing one million dollars per year on account of the mistreatment on animals such as cattle and pigs, according to experts who took part in the First National Congress on Farm Animal Welfare, which was held 11-12 June in Costa Rica.

The issue of animal welfare is becoming increasingly important for meat producers and merchants, because highly competitive markets like Europe and the United States have strict standards.

The congress was organized by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), EARTH University, CORFOGA, the National Animal Health Service of Costa Rica (SENASA) and the Humane Society International (HSI). The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the School of Veterinary Medicine of the National University (UNA) also supported the event.

The speakers were from Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Uruguay, the United States of America and Colombia. The participants included producers, merchants, students and academics.

Marcela Vargas, Programme Manager for WSPA, said the activity was part of the efforts to create opportunities for dialogue on the benefits of improving the welfare of farm animals. Those benefits include higher productivity for companies that produce meat and its byproducts.

“Various sectors have responded to the call to improve the conditions in which farm animals are kept and handled. That motivates us to create further opportunities to exchange ideas on animal welfare,” Vargas said.

Good for animals and humans

It is estimated that 60% of injuries to cattle in Costa Rica affect the most valuable cuts of meat, such as sirloin tip roast and bottom round roast. Around half of the injuries to livestock occur during the last 20 hours before the animals are slaughtered.

Over the past twenty years, the animal welfare movement has become a powerful lobby worldwide. Members of the European Union and importers of animal products must meet strict standards and the requirements of the European countries and the United States are expected to become even tougher in the years ahead.

According to Vargas, “the change in the treatment of animals stems from the demand for certified products. Animals must be raised, transported and slaughtered with a minimum of suffering in each stage of production.”

The Regional Director of the project Improvement of the Beef Sector in Central America (ILRI-CFC), Edwin Perez, said there was a strong link between animal welfare and production. According to the expert, for various reasons - including economic ones - the industry has introduced intensive meat production systems or systems that do not use natural methods.

Even leaving aside the ethical issues involved in activities of this kind, it is clear that when animal welfare is ignored the quality and profitability of products are adversely affected.

HSI Program Manager Cynthia Dent and CORFOGA Head of Projects Julio Gonzalez said the one million dollars’ worth of production lost on account of the mistreatment of animals was basically due to poor management and injuries to the animals.

The Representative of the IICA Office in Costa Rica, Byron Miranda, said, “The economic and commercial considerations alone should be enough to encourage producers to take action, although no one can deny the strength of feeling that exists on the issue.”

Scientifically tested and proven methods exist for breeding, developing, transporting and slaughtering animals properly, without causing them unnecessary pain and distress. Several organizations like the WSPA promote training for national producers and merchants.

For more information, contact
byron.miranda@iica.int