let's talk farm animals

Dear Ryan Gosling…

Dear Ryan Gosling:

Letter sent to the Globe and Mail – July 11, 2021

To the Editor:

Putting ‘Actor turned animal welfare expert’ criticisms aside, let’s correct the premise first – a pig is not a dog or a chicken or a bat or a dolphin. They all have very different housing, health and care needs.  Although it may not come up at many Golden Globe parties, millions of dollars have been invested in researching farm animal welfare.  Virtually none of that money has come from the animal rights critics Mr. Gosling has aligned himself with to write this commentary, even though they fundraise to ‘improve animal welfare.’

The Code of Practice for Pigs is an amazingly Canadian process.  It’s based on science and put together with input from government, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, agriculture and food industry and farmers themselves. There is always a need for continuous improvement in farming, and critics voicing their disapproval is part of that process.  However, I support a more reasonable approach to improving animal welfare based on science and practical farm experience, which may not be as sexy, but might actually help real animals in real barns in Canada today and tomorrow.

Sincerely,

Crystal Mackay, Executive Director, Farm & Food Care Ontario

To see Ryan Gosling’s original opinion piece, visit here: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/a-tiny-cage-is-not-a-life/article13117337/

 

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Posted by Farm and Food Care on July 18th, 2013 :: Filed under Activism,Agricultural Advocates,Agriculture Education,Animal care,Canada,Codes of Practice,Housing,Pigs,Pork
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One Response to “Dear Ryan Gosling…”

  1. Laura Yanne
    July 24th, 2013

    Mr. Gosling’s opinions on animal welfare should not be dismissed simply because he’s also known as an actor any more than a person who is not a parent should be forbidden to opine on matters pertaining to children.

    Farming has changed radically in the past two decades. So has the public’s ability to obtain and exchange information through technology. Consumers and concerned citizens (whether they’re famous or not) are part of the equation. We’re paying attention. Anyone who lives in a rural area, like I do, or who sees the undercover videos, can see that the treatment of animals is not what the old myths and the new producers would like us to believe.

    A pig is, in fact, closer to being a dog than s/he is to being an inanimate automaton. And you admit that each species has different “housing, health and care needs.” Pigs, whose intelligence is affirmed by scientists and well known to most of us, require rooting areas and space in order to satisfy their natural instincts; the needs of pigs kept in intensive confinement on concrete floors are hardly being met. That’s what we’re trying to tell you.

    Why not listen to someone other than those in your collective echo chamber. YOU are the one being paid by the animal use industry, Ms. McKay; Mr. Gosling is certainly not making his living by speaking up for animals.

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