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Renowned animal advocate, autism expert and author Temple Grandin signs a copy of one of her books for Kelsey Jarvis after speaking to a packed room at the Victoria Inn’s Imperial Ballroom on Wednesday afternoon. Grandin spoke on the topic of “Animal Welfare: The Right Thing to Do.” She will be speaking again today on the subject of autism at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium.
Animals feel pain, fear and stress — but they don’t understand slaughter.
World renowned animal expert, Temple Grandin, spoke in Brandon yesterday about what leads to animal distress and the ways which humans can make profound difference.
More than 650 people registered to hear Grandin’s 90-minute-long presentation at the Victoria Inn.
The well-known speaker, who lives with autism, was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2010.
Her use of analogies and humour — joking that the pink slime motto should be "so gross, it’s awesome" — captivated the audience of agricultural business leaders, farmers and members of the public.
"We need to have a conversation with the public about what actions are being taken to ensure that animals are well cared for in Manitoba," said Cam Dahl, general manager of Manitoba Beef. "Dr. Grandin has a significant impact ... she’s an independent voice to talk about what needs to be done."
Grandin has a PhD in animal science from the University of Illinois and is an author of several best selling books on animal and human interaction.
She has designed a number of livestock handling facilities in different parts of the world, and is an animal science professor at Colorado State University.
Grandin’s name was also the title of an award-winning HBO movie based on her teenage years, starring Claire Danes. The film shows the start of her career, which includes consulting the livestock industry on facility design, handling and animal welfare.
"We have to start looking at the things we do and ask ourselves 'is this what we want to see on the six o clock news?'," Grandin said.
And from the good things Grandin told the audience about Maple Leaf, the plant is an example of good animal handling.
"I saw a lot of pigs there, and Maple Leaf was doing just fine," said Grandin, who also noted the absence of common animal issues such as fatigued pigs and hogs with bitten tails.
"Most of the problems I’m seeing now in large slaughter plants we have to fix at the farm," Grandin told media after the event.
Simple steps such as reducing shadows and reflections, which Maple Leaf has started to take into account by changing the amount of light in its plant, have a profound impact on animal behaviour. Cleaning up visual distractions such as unnecessary chains makes for a more humane environment.
Grandin also urged producers to make YouTube videos of the work they do.
"A lot of producers don’t talk to the public and one way to do that is the Internet," said Grandin, who championed the video site throughout her speech. She also noted videos "should be explained" by farmers plainly, without "PR fluff" and acknowledged one disadvantage to YouTube is bad Internet connection in some rural areas.
The event wrapped up with a question period, and Grandin received a standing ovation from the crowd. Waiting in the long line to get their Grandin books signed were sisters Jenna and Nicki Haverstock. The two live on a beef farm near Forrest and couldn’t believe Grandin actually came to rural Manitoba.
"(Grandin) points out the obvious that we’re ignoring," Haverstock said. "She’s pretty powerful."
Grandin isn’t done in Brandon yet — she will be speaking today at the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium about autism.
» dponticelli@brandonsun.com
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition May 24, 2012
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Animals feel pain, fear and stress — but they don’t understand slaughter.
World renowned animal expert, Temple Grandin, spoke in Brandon yesterday about what leads to animal distress and the ways which humans can make profound difference.
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Animals feel pain, fear and stress — but they don’t understand slaughter.
World renowned animal expert, Temple Grandin, spoke in Brandon yesterday about what leads to animal distress and the ways which humans can make profound difference.
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