Producers can gain market share by embracing animal welfare issues

By LEE FARREN
For the Capital Press

LA GRANDE, Ore. -- The U.S. cattle industry must rebuild consumer trust if it expects to expand domestic and foreign markets, top industry officials told the Sixth Annual Cattleman's Workshop on Jan. 23.

"Forces outside our business are so noisy and chaotic that we need to talk about those things that come from society and impact us," said Tom Fields of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association as he introduced a line-up of nationally recognized speakers.

Over 450 people attended the workshop, including 120 students from the first Pacific Northwest Young Cattlemen's Conference.

"We need to rebuild consumer trust to enable growth. A big part of our first priority is to turn beef demand around and defend modern beef production practices," said Forrest Roberts, chief executive officer of the NCBA.

He cited legislative threats from animal rights and environmental activists that could limit how ranchers run their businesses.

"Our right to have freedom of operation and our right to choose is absolutely in jeopardy," he said.

Animal welfare is not a threat to ranching so much as an opportunity, said Bernie Rollin, professor of bioethics at Colorado State University.

"You do exactly what the public wants out of animal production. The public doesn't want industrial agriculture, the public wants husbandry agriculture. That's what you do," Rollin said.

Consumers want to know that meat is healthful and safe and that the animals lived a decent life. Rollin advised cattle producers to take advantage of their humane treatment of animals in marketing beef.

To take advantage of current public sentiment, Rollin told cattlemen they need to fix two things -- branding and castration without anesthesia.

"You can then market beef as an ethical product and the public will buy it," he said.

Kevin Smith, director of export services for the U.S. Meat Export Federation, emphasized food safety and international competition.

"U.S. beef exports have had a steady recovery since BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) in 2003, when we basically lost all our export markets. I think we should be proud of the recovery we've made, but we're still not all the way there," Smith said. A damaged reputation for safety is one of main issues holding the U.S. back from access to international markets, especially China.

"Our food safety system, our production system, our ethics and the quality of our product are all being challenged. We are going to have to defend the reputation of what we do every day," Smith said.

The U.S. currently exports about 8 percent of annual production, compared to more than 60 percent from competitors like Australia, Brazil and Argentina.

"If we are going to be a global competitor we have to choose to do so. Export can no longer be a by-product of our industry. Our competitors are trying very hard," Smith said.