2023-05-01 22:22:55
One of the consequences of living in our “risk society” is the apparent loss of faith in experts to protect us from possible technological dangers. There are more and more man-made hazards that, unlike natural hazards, are “manufactured”, so to speak. As a consequence, many institutions and companies find it necessary to increase confidence to counteract these risks or the perception of risk by consumers.
According to a study led by sociologist Carol Richards, for food products there are three ways to increase consumer confidence:
1) Improve the reputation of the product (for example, demonstrating that it is more sustainable or that it is produced respecting animal welfare).
2) Improve its quality (showing that it tastes better or is healthier).
3) Enhance the idea of the authenticity of the product (for example, demonstrating that it is indigenous or traditional).
In the world of animal production, companies use all these options to increase consumer confidence in their products and production systems. In fact, there are some products so established (for example, Iberian ham) that they almost do not need advertising, but it is still done so as not to lose market.
Certifications to increase confidence
Lately, a global strategy to increase trust has been adopted: create and adopt certifications.
In general terms, a certification confirms a product, a process or a chain of processes as true. It guarantees that a process has been followed for the elaboration of a food product. All processes and products comply with the provisions of the law (there is enough legislation in this regard), and the certificate provides a plus.
Animal welfare certifications have recently emerged in livestock that show that animal welfare has been respected throughout the production process. For example, the Welfair quality certificate, which is a mark of Spanish origin.
Typically, a typical animal welfare certification may assess animal-based, facility-based, and farm-management-based indicators.
Certifications can also be divided according to what they evaluate at the process level. For example, if they focus more on the farm or on routine operations like live animal transport, slaughter, and even shearing for animals that are raised on their fleece estates.
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Certifying alpaca wool
For three years we have been working with the Government of Peru to develop a protocol to certify the welfare of the alpaca, a South American camelid that is bred for the spectacular quality of its wool (it is a very fine wool and therefore very soft, light but insulating, and available in a variety of natural colors).
One of the fruits of this work is a scientific article that summarizes the behavior of camelids in general, based on sources of scientific literature on all continents (there is considerable production of alpacas in Peru, but also research production in Europe, the United States and Australia).
In general, although alpacas are highly valued by owners and their well-being is paramount, objective studies of their behavior were scarce. In this review we bring together, for the first time, sources from very diverse origins to review the basic biology of the alpaca and llama, their sensory and communication systems, their sexual and maternal behavior, but also social and maintenance behaviors. Everything to try to create some indicators of well-being during the management of the shearing.
According to our review of the bibliography, alpacas are well adapted to extensive production in extreme climatic conditions and altitudes greater than 3,000 meters above sea level. However, the current trend is towards a more intensive production of alpacas, especially for their wool and meat. Hence the interest in getting to know them better.
For example, it has been seen that, in most cases, alpacas avoid being isolated from the group. And that makes some management procedures difficult, such as shearing. In the long term, in the context of long production chains where there may be certain risks in management, applied research should address operational indicators of alpacas’ welfare, both on the farm and during shearing.
Currently, several non-governmental organizations such as the Textile Exchange have begun working on protocols that will help certify welfare-friendly production systems and management practices such as shearing. In South America, however, any certification process must take into account the social and commercial impacts on the livelihoods of small peasant farms that supply most of the wool to international markets.
So why investigate how to make alpacas happy? As we have seen, we not only increase their welfare, but we also improve the ethical quality of the product (in this case, the wool), as well as the entire shearing process to make it more efficient and less stressful for the animals and workers.
#investigating #alpacas #happy