Animal Health

The goal of the Animal Health Project Team was to prevent short and long-term adverse impacts of air contaminants on animal health.

The team’s objectives were to:

  • identify key concerns regarding the effects of air emissions on animal health
  • investigate animal health impacts attributable to air contaminants
  • develop a management response system to manage identified risks
  • assess air quality guidelines and objectives and make recommendations to ensure animal health is protected
  • document and summarize scientific and local/traditional knowledge regarding the effects of air emissions on animal health
  • identify research gaps and make recommendations to fill the gaps
  • communicate with stakeholders

Learn more in the terms of reference.

PROGRESS

The animal health project team focused on the potential for a management response system that would be used to address livestock health issues that could be associated with air emissions.

The team provided an opportunity to discuss these issues in a supportive, non-confrontational forum with government, industry, and public stakeholders. This forum allowed stakeholders to search for commonly agreed solutions to concerns about animal/livestock health.

The team sponsored a survey that identified some potential areas for further response. It also covered such diverse topics as how to improve the credibility of research into animal health, and how to gather information that would be used for a baseline assessment.

This project team continued to study the relationship of industrial emissions to animal welfare into 2001, before making a final report and recommendations to the CASA board.

Sub-groups:

Two sub-groups were created to complete a specific task furthering the goal and objectives of the larger team. They included members from the larger team.

  • AHPT:  Animal health recommended practices sub-group
  • AHPT:  Public survey sub-group

Co-chairs:

  • Martha Kostuch (NGO)
  • Tim Taylor (IND)

If you’d like more information, please email casa@casahome.org.

In 1986, Alberta Agriculture and Alberta Environment sponsored a workshop on the "Effects of Acid-Forming Emissions in Livestock."

While a number of recommendations emerged from that workshop, there was no mechanism in place to implement them. Since then, additional research has been done but there are differing views about the severity and urgency of this issue.

An animal health working group reviewed background information from a range of sources to determine the nature, extent and seriousness of the issue. These sources included presentations from stakeholders, scientific and medical studies, and information from farmers and the public.

The review indicated that a project team was justified. At the March 2000 board of directors meeting, the animal health project team was approved.

In November 1999, the team held a two-day workshop to develop a shared understanding of:

  • Accepted practices in animal health management
  • Expected levels of health
  • Current scientific/research knowledge relating to air quality and animal health

The Animal Health project team developed two resources for use by livestock producers:

  • Herd and Environmental Record System - Grande Model
  • Herd and Environmental Record System - Lite Model