01
Mengniu Group released its ESG report
On May 30, Mengniu Group released the 2021 Sustainable Development Report, also known as the "ESG Report", which disclosed in detail its "GREEN Sustainable Development Strategy" formulated in depth against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which showed that Mengniu is committed to the development of sustainable agriculture by improving animal welfare and carrying out renewable agricultural management, reducing the impact on the ecological environment, while ensuring better milk sources.
(Source: Mengniu Group's 2021 Sustainability Report)
02
Animal welfare helps lift milk quantity milk quality
Cattle are sentient animals that can feel pleasure, but also feel different degrees of pain and pain, and they also need care and love. Comfortable living environment and physical and mental health are very important for dairy cows, according to geneticists, 70% to 75% of dairy cow milk production is affected by environmental influences, especially feed and feeding management conditions. Practice has proved that under good feeding management conditions, the annual milk production of dairy cows can be increased by 20% to 60%. At the same time, the content of ingredients in milk is also closely related to the feeding management conditions, such as too much concentrate in the diet, insufficient crude material, rumen fermentation leads to an increase in propionic acid, a decrease in acetic acid, and ultimately leads to a decrease in the rate of milk fat. (Source Factors Affecting Dairy Production in Dairy Cows, Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science and Technology Information, 2013)
03
Standards are introduced, and cows deserve "welfare"
Advanced countries and regions in animal welfare, such as the European Union, the United States and Canada, have passed legislation to protect animal welfare. However, the development of animal welfare management in the mainland is relatively slow, and for a long time, there has been a gap in the standard of dairy cow welfare. However, with the development of society, relevant departments and enterprises have gradually realized the rationality and necessity of dairy cow welfare.
In order to ensure the quality and safety of animal source products and promote the sustainable development of the dairy farming industry in the mainland, in 2021, China's first dairy cow animal welfare standard "Farm Animal Welfare Requirements Dairy Cows" standard T/CAI 004-2021 was issued by the Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine of Tianjin Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, It was jointly drafted by authoritative agricultural institutions such as Beijing Animal Husbandry Station and several leading dairy cow-related enterprises such as Inner Mongolia Yili Group Co., Ltd., Mengniu Dairy (Group) Co., Ltd., and Hangzhou Adoptive Cow Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
04
Basic information about the "Cow" standard
Based on the five principles of animal welfare that are generally recognized internationally, in accordance with the international standard framework of RSPCA, starting from the most core production factor of dairy farming, that is, the animal itself, combined with the current situation of dairy cow production in mainland China, with the concept of treating animals scientifically, reducing animal pain and stress response, providing animals with suitable growth environment and nutrition, and improving the quality of animal life and health, the group standard stipulates the animal welfare requirements for dairy cows in the whole process of breeding, transportation and elimination. In order to enrich and improve the living environment of dairy cows, meet the needs of dairy cows, reduce their pain as much as possible, avoid making them bear unnecessary injuries and sorrows, and enable dairy cows to live and produce healthily and happily in a welfare environment.
05
Animal welfare and sustainable agriculture
What is the link between animal welfare and sustainable agricultural development? MaVinson, the former FAO representative to China, noted at the World Conference on Farm Animal Welfare that animal welfare and sustainable agricultural development are closely linked, "livestock will affect climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions and soil degradation, but at the same time, we need to produce more animals to meet the needs of middle-class, urban consumers for high-quality animal protein." We need to reduce the carbon footprint of agricultural and livestock production, not at the expense of further environmental degradation. "China is a big agricultural country, and the problem is more complex and serious.
In March this year, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a resolution entitled "Animal Welfare - Environment - Sustainable Development Relationship", pointing out that animal welfare is an effective contribution to solving environmental problems and achieving sustainable development, and that human beings need "one health" systematic solutions to cope with the problems faced by humans, animals and the environment, which means that for the first time, human beings have put the "joys and sorrows" of animals on the global agenda to ensure the sustainable development of 70 billion farm animals and humans.
The Animal Welfare International Cooperation Committee has long been committed to the development of animal welfare in China and is well aware of the importance of dairy cow welfare to ensure the healthy development of dairy enterprises and promote the safety of milk source food. In addition to the development of dairy cow standards, group standards for pigs, broilers, layer chickens, beef cattle, meat sheep, cashmere goats and waterfowl have been introduced.