The Dairy Podcast Show - #11 - Animal welfare: the bridge between customers and the dairy industry
Nov 21, 2022
Society's expectations towards the dairy industry have been dramatically changing in the past few decades. Consumers not only demand that the products have high quality, but they also want to know that they are produced in an appropriate and respectful way towards the animals. As the dairy industry, the responsibility to adapt to the new consumer expectations and find the right balance to do what is both economically practicable and best for the animals falls in our hands. Dr. Jennifer Van Os, our guest in today's episode and a specialist in animal welfare, shares key points on how we can improve our dairy practices and gain the consumers' trust in our dairy products.
What you’ll learn:
- Animal welfare and animal rights
- The importance of animal welfare
- Quality of life for cows
- Consumers’ expectations and trust
- Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program
- Training the workforce and the Mooving program
- The background of paired calves
- Pair or individual housing calves
- Information deficit model
Meet the guest:
Dr. Jennifer Van Os received her PhD in the interdisciplinary Animal Behavior graduate program at the University of California-Davis and conducted postdoctoral research in the Animal Welfare Program at the University of British Columbia. She is currently an Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist in Animal Welfare in the faculty of the Department of Animal & Dairy Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her research at UW-Madison focuses on understanding, evaluating, and improving the welfare of dairy animals from biological and social-science perspectives. The goal of Dr. Van Os’ extension program is to promote best practices in management and housing to help the dairy industry adapt as our scientific knowledge about animal welfare continues to grow.
