Dr. Gail Golab of AVMA Animal Welfare Division Speaks Before House Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock View transcript of Dr. Golab's testimony (PDF)
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| AVMA Associate Director for Animal Welfare, Dr. Gail Golab, testified before the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture.
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SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Gail C. Golab, PhD, DVM, Associate Director of Animal Welfare Division of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) testified today before the Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture on the significance of animal welfare in contemporary U.S. farming and food animal production.
"This hearing highlighted some differences that exist among stakeholders with regard to how we believe animals should be used and cared for," Dr. Golab stated. "An important underlying truth is that most people in the United States believe it is acceptable to use animals for food and fiber, as long as the welfare of those animals is good. The AVMA has indicated its explicit agreement with this approach."
Dr. Golab, through her testimony, also helped shed light on what a dynamic and complex issue animal welfare is and argued that veterinarians have, perhaps, the best insight, training and experience to understand the truth of the issue.
"Animal welfare science is a new and applied science that has emerged from existing scientific disciplines, such as physiology, neurobiology, ethology, epidemiology, and pathology," stated Dr. Golab. "Veterinarians, by virtue of their broad-based training, are extraordinarily well-positioned to integrate and bring the relevant elements of animal welfare science to the table to assist key decision-makers in making good decisions. These skills of veterinarians, combined with the promise of a science that is multi-disciplinary and an understanding of the importance of input and buy-in by a variety of stakeholders, are what inspire the AVMA's current approach to animal welfare.
"Common sense and science depend on each other to reach sound conclusions on animal welfare," she stated.
Subcommittee members solicited input from a diverse selection of opinion leaders, including the AVMA, the Humane Society of the United States, United Egg Producers, National Milk Producers Federation, the American Quarter Horse Association, individual farmers and other stakeholders.
For more information about the AVMA Animal Welfare Division, visit www.avma.org.
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The AVMA, founded in 1863, is one of the oldest and largest veterinary medical organizations in the world. More than 75,000 member veterinarians are engaged in a wide variety of professional activities. AVMA members are dedicated to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine including its relationship to public health and agriculture. Visit the AVMA Web site at www.avma.org to learn more about veterinary medicine and animal care and to access up-to-date information on the association's issues, policies and activities.
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