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Minister Launches Animal Welfare Guidelines for Dairy Herds
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., has officially launched a new booklet produced by the Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council (FAWAC) entitled 'Animal Welfare Guidelines for Dairy Herds'.
With the expansion of the Dairy Herd nationally this booklet will assist Irish farmers maintain the highest standards of animal welfare. Acknowledging the work of the FAWAC, the Minister said;
The work of this group is vitally important in maintaining high animal welfare standards in Ireland.
The Minister added;
It is necessary too that all those engaged in dairy farming ensure their commitment to good animal welfare practices in order to maintain Ireland’s positive animal welfare reputation. This is very important given our status as a net exporter of agricultural products. Progress continues to be made in the area of animal welfare with ongoing efforts for further improvements acknowledged.
Minister Creed thanked the chairman of FAWAC, Professor Patrick Fottrell, and the members of the Council, particularly the members of the Education Sub-Group who include representatives from Veterinary Ireland, the ICMSA, and the IFA together with Department officials for their work in producing the booklet. The Minister also expressed his appreciation of the ongoing and valuable work being done by the Council and for the advice provided in the domain of animal welfare.
The booklet is available on the FAWAC website at www.fawac.ie or from the FAWAC Secretariat - email FAWAC@agriculture.gov.ie