Awareness of livestock welfare issues and concerns has increased at a remarkable rate worldwide. Studies have examined public perceptions toward livestock welfare, but few have examined the views of the livestock industry. Alberta's livestock industry is composed of many stakeholders that all contribute to livestock welfare as a whole and their perceptions are valuable towards improving animal care. 

The Livestock Welfare Engagement Project brought together input from a broad cross-section of livestock industry participants in Alberta to provide an understanding of the livestock welfare landscape in the province from the industry's perspective. The project was conducted primarily throughout 2018. Information and insights were collected from stakeholders across the sector through an online survey and regional focus groups.

A total of 588 responses to the survey were received. However, 25 responses were not analyzed due to non-compliance with survey instructions. Participants often expressed that the Alberta livestock industry has made steady progress in awareness, improvement in practices, communication and leadership on this issue over the years. Animal welfare was viewed as a top priority and continuous improvement was considered key to future industry success. 

Numerous motivators and barriers towards the improvement of animal care in the industry were identified. This project's results provided vital information to support the ongoing understanding, activity, and progress in livestock welfare in Alberta. 

Key Learnings :

1. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to recognize motivators and barriers towards practice uptake on farm.
2. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to identify gaps in producer education.
3. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to apply project findings towards animal welfare programs to have a better impact within the livestock industry.