The holidays are a time to celebrate traditions, family togetherness and our gratitude for the bountiful food and love we enjoy. At a time when kindness and caring are more important than ever, and with Thanksgiving just a week away, we call on you to set a humane table for the holidays and support humane farming practices year-round.
There are many heroes on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic, but an often-unrecognized group is once again rising to the demand of the times: America’s farmers and ranchers. The disruptive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been extensive and wide-ranging for the agriculture industry. Both farmers and consumers have been planning production and managing household budgets at a time when markets are being affected by global, national and regional shutdowns, slowdowns and overall uncertainty. Those shocks to the economy have shaken the supply and demand for food in the U.S. and the rest of the world, leading to short-term, localized shortages, particularly in livestock products like meat, while farmers had to deal with excess supplies in other areas.
This Thanksgiving, we should all be especially thankful of the farmers and ranchers who have worked tirelessly during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to ensure that America’s grocery store shelves are laden with food that is delicious, affordable and humanely raised.
More people are concerned about how their food is raised than ever before and want to make choices that are in line with their values. National research by American Humane shows more than nine in ten (94.9%) Americans are “very concerned” about farm animal welfare. During the holidays, and all year round, we urge all Americans to help make a better world by choosing foods that have been humanely raised under ethical, common-sense and scientifically demonstrated standards.
Fortunately, there are trusted humane labels that enlightened consumers can seek out. The American Humane Certified™ program, for instance, is based on nearly 200 science-based standards that cover everything from adequate space to air quality, heat and lighting, humane treatment, and the ability for animals to be animals and express the natural behaviors of their kind. The standards were developed by the world’s leading animal scientists, animal behaviorists, veterinarians and animal advocates, and are reviewed and updated regularly by an independent Scientific Advisory Committee. Today, the American Humane Certified™ program is the nation’s first, largest and most trusted third-party farm animal welfare certification program, helping ensure the humane treatment of nearly one billion animals. For a list of producers committed to humanely raising their animals, click here.
While Thanksgiving might look different this year, and not consist of the normal large gatherings of friends and family, Americans will still come together around dinner tables to give thanks for our many blessings. And by looking for trusted humane labels such as American Humane Certified, you can set a humane table for the holidays and all year round, giving thanks to and helping ensure a better life for the nation’s farm animals.
