The National Farm Animal Care Council really focuses on non-regulatory approaches to improving animal welfare. Most people want to do the right thing. In fact, there's science to show that education and good information extension is the number one way of ensuring that good animal welfare standards are in place. Regulations are really for those who refuse to follow through on what's expected. They are the safety net.
Where we really need to focus our energy is not on assuming people are not willing to look after their animals. They are. It's really about good information extension. That's one of the things the codes are all about; that is, getting that research that's been done.... We have world-renowned researchers in Canada. We need to get the work they've done into a format, like the codes, where it can be implemented and can be utilized. Then it goes even beyond that in terms of how you take that code and do further information extension about what's in the code, how it benefits producers, and how it can be implemented.
Then you have the animal care assessment programs, which are another way of ensuring that those codes are being followed. There are many options other than a regulatory approach to ensuring good animal welfare is in place. In fact, that's where you get the buy-in from people. None of us really likes to hear the siren and see the lights in our rear-view mirror. Certainly, if you can get people to understand why you need to follow the rules and the importance and value to them, that's a far better approach.