Issue 19: "Big" meat, food, ag corporations: What's this bigness about and why should anyone care?

Why does "big" matter? Why should anyone care that animal protein and agri-food industries are dominated by a handful of mega-conglomerates?

Grisel Navarro on Long-Distance Transport

Key topics of this conversation from March 2024: 1) Clive outlines the latest interview series focus: Animal welfare management in developing countries. 2) Today addresses welfare of animals during long- distance transport. 3) Clive introduces Dr. Grisel Navarro from the Catholic University of Temuco, Chile. 4) Focus on the transportation of cattle over 1000km by sea from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt, in Southern Chile. 5) Land transport alternatives are prohibitive due to road conditions. 6) Chilean public largely unaware or ambivalent to sea transportation. 7) Regulation of welfare standards and responsibilities of stakeholders. 8) Stocking densities and husbandry standards for live transport. 9) Alternatives to travel: potential roles for local abattoirs. 10) Comparison with live transport issues found in Australia.

BQI Beacon: Issue #2

April 2024
Eight works by academics are featured and they cover these topics: 1) Global poultry genetics companies' power in Africa. 2) Diets in LMICs shaped by complex food environment. 3) Tradeoffs required to make livestock systems climate-friendly. 4) Asian industrial broiler production's wide range of problems. 5) EU food strategies can improve LMICs' animal welfare. 6) Tactics to sell industrial chicken products in Guatemala. 7) Egypt's poultry industry harbors avian flu and gets subsidies. 8) Problematic claims made by dairy companies in China.

Issue 18: What does "success" mean in government actions related to food animal production in LMICs?

There is hardly any advocacy group that does not realize that government actions – and inaction – matter in the production of food animals in their countries, and sometimes beyond their borders as well.

Zulkifli Idrus on Poultry Welfare

Key topics of this conversation from August 2023: 1) Clive introduces Zulkifli Idrus. 2) Red Junglefowl are the ancestors of modern chicken breeds. 3) Tonic immobility tests show modern commercial chicken breeds are less fearful than Junglefowl. 4) Biggest problems to broiler (meat) chicken welfare - rapid growth, leg and skin problems. 5) Cardiovascular problems and sudden-death syndrome. 6) Skin problems - contact dermatitis with breast, foot-pad and upper leg (hock) injuries. 7) Feed restriction methods to manage rapid growth rate in hot climates. 8) Harvesting and transportation issues. 9) Nutritional supplements such as probiotics and prebiotics to improve gut health. 10) Heat stress mitigation and future challenges with climate change. 11) Welfare issues concerning stocking densities and litter quality. 12) Welfare of layer chickens and other poultry. 13) Final comments.

BQI Beacon: Issue #1

October 2023
Eight works by academics are featured and they cover these topics: 1) Government policies shaping aquaculture. 2) Industrial livestock production in China. 3) Large investors' interest in animal welfare. 4) Environmental pressures from different foods. 5) Implementing international animal welfare standards. 6) Cage-free egg production in China. 7) Game meat production in South Africa. 8) Meat consumption reduction in Brazil.

TITLE: Dairy production in India: Animal welfare implications and public perceptions. AUTHOR: J.A. Robbins. KEYWORDS: dairy production; dairy consumption; cows; buffaloes; animal welfare; India.

This report focuses on four topics about dairy in India: Dairy consumption; dairy production; animal welfare of dairy animals; unique socio-cultural factors.

TITLE: Addressing the issues of industrial poultry in Egypt (Arabic version: انفلونزا الطيور والدعم الغذائي معالجة قضايا الدواجن الصناعية في مصر). AUTHOR: M.W. Dixon. KEYWORDS: poultry; diseases; corporations; government policies; food security; Egypt.

With the rise of a corporate agri-food system in Egypt since the 1980s, the country's industrial poultry production has increased dramatically. This report focuses on two main concerns with Egypt's corporate poultry industry.

TITLE: Egg producer and egg buyer disconnect - Exploring barriers and levers to increase cage-free egg production in China. AUTHOR: A. Bright. KEYWORDS: cage-free egg production; egg producers; egg consumption; China.

About 40% of the world's chicken eggs come from China. Although there is interest in cage-free eggs production in China, the transition has been slow. This report focuses on a key reason: A fundamental disconnect between egg producers and buyers (retailers and end consumers).

TITLE: The role of major retailers and supermarkets in the transition from industrial animal agriculture to alternative proteins in low- and middle-income countries - The case of Brazil. AUTHOR: G.G. Reis. KEYWORDS: meat consumption; diet; alternative pro

This report analyzes how supermarkets in Brazil promote plant-based "meat" compared with animal-based products. It also compares plant-based products coming from companies that also offer meat (i.e. meat processing companies) with products from companies that only manufacture plant-based products (plant-based "exclusive" firms).