Pork Checkoff Committed to Animal Care

The Pork Checkoff is committed to reaching out and educating the consumer. National Pork Board CEO Chris Novak says this industry is focused on having the very best scientific information available on animal care…

“At the same time, we are faced today, with consumers that may not be that interested in that science, and maybe reacting emotionally, or may be reacting to perceptions, and that’s a challenge for us to the extent that we’d like to ensure that we’re providing the best care, and yet sometimes we know that companies, whether it’s a restaurant or a retailer, may be driven to make decisions that reflect the emotions of an issue as opposed to the science.”
 

During the recent National Pork Industry Forum – Pork Checkoff delegates sought greater participation in the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program. In addition – delegates sought an additional research review on swine housing systems. The policy also went further with its focus on housing and animal care…

“Finally the resolution encouraged us to speak more to consumers and our partners in the food chain with respect to today’s housing practices. Certainly, from the board’s perspective, all of that is a positive step. We also intent to continue to work to ensure that our partners in the food chain understand that we’re talking about a system…the need for a system, and that any particular decision with respect to animal welfare has implications for us from an environmental sustainability standpoint, it has implications for food safety, as well as implications for animal welfare.

And we need to make certain that everyone is sharing that perspective and understands the implications across each of those facets where we know consumers are expecting more today.”