Meat&Poultry - July 2013 - 36

cull cattle

Taking the bull by the horns

M

cDonald’s has put together an impressive list of

opportunities to further evaluate dairy-animal health and

scientists and dairy and beef supply chain experts to

welfare within McDonald’s extended supply chain. We are

tackle the complex task of improving cull-dairy cow welfare

in the early stages of understanding the multiple segments

throughout the highly segmented supply chain. A number of

within the dairy industry, and are looking for ways to

those experts assisted with the development of this article.

partner with our supplier experts, scientific advisors and

Rickette Collins, quality systems director for McDonald’s
US Supply Chain, recently took time to answer questions

the greater dairy industry to drive continuous improvement
in animal health and welfare.
3) Is there a time frame for the activity? Dairy-animal

about the taskforce McDonald’s has assembled.
1) What prompted the McDonald’s interest in the

health and welfare has been identified as an area of focus

condition of cull-dairy cows? Our interest in this topic lies in

for 2013 and beyond. We are currently engaged with

the fact that dairy products and dairy cattle are vital to our

our advisors, supplier partners and the dairy industry to

business. For more than a decade, McDonald’s has viewed

identify how McDonald’s can promote improvement.
4) Do you have any additional thoughts about

animal health and welfare as a critical component of our
philosophy to develop a sustainable supply chain. These

McDonald’s focus on animal welfare? Animal health and

efforts began with our early partnerships with suppliers,

welfare is not only a focus for McDonald’s in the US, but

advisors and industry experts to integrate animal health and

continues to be a focus globally. In 2012, McDonald’s

welfare standards and third-party audits. Today, we continue

formed a new global Animal Health & Welfare Team.

to survey the industry landscape to identify opportunities
that may exist.

This new global animal health and welfare team is
responsible for:

2) What is the desired outcome of this project? We
strive to ensure that our business practices and policies

• Identifying global opportunities to improve the health
and welfare of animals raised for food production;

make a positive impact, which includes making sure that

• Establishing evidence-based global policy, programs

the animals in our supply chain are properly cared for

and procedures that can be verified and validated by

throughout their lives.

independent third parties; and

In consultation with our independent experts, like Dr.
Temple Grandin and our supplier partners, we’ve identified

• Promoting best practices by supporting one, unified
set of global standards for animal health and welfare.

expectations and developing verifiable

are visiting a Cargill slaughter plant in

she explains. “I’m convinced that if we

guidelines that will give consumers

Milwaukee, Wis., so they can see what

have that same mentality, we educate

confidence that their cows are treated

cows look like at the other end. Patty

one another and do right by the cow,

well throughout their lives.

Bikowsky, a Central New York dairy

we will have a beautiful end-product.

Slowly but surely, the silos are

farmer, is visiting Cargill’s Wyalus-

It doesn’t mean life doesn’t have dis-

starting to come down. Aurora, Ill.-

ing, Pa., slaughter plant with a group

comfort, but it doesn’t have to be in-

based meat, milk and cheese supplier

for the same reason.

humane. We can’t forget the cow.” ■

OSI Industries is working with Profes-

To Mayer, the solution lies in being

sional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin

cow-centric. “We need to take care of

to better understand the other side of

the cow all the way through the sys-

the production process.

tem. Dairymen who are cow-centric

Mayer and her board of directors

36

produce a lot of high-quality milk,”

A 30-year veteran of processing-plant operations
and former GM of Cargill’s Taylor Packing, Jerry
Karczewski is a contributing editor based in
Oconomowoc, Wis. He also is the owner of
Karczewski Consulting (www.diversecattle.com),
which provides humane handling and plant
operations consulting services.

• Meat&Poultry • July 2013 • www.MeatPoultry.com

030_MP_July13_Cull Cattle.indd 36

7/16/2013 11:11:19 AM
http://www.diversecattle.com http://www.MeatPoultry.com
Meat&Poultry - July 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Meat&Poultry - July 2013
