Editor’s note: This commentary Vincent Riva and Laura Smith, who reside in Danville, where they raise heritage breed livestock and maintain Animal Welfare Approved and 100 percent grass-fed certifications for their cattle and sheep.
[V]ermonters, like most people, are more invested than ever in where their food comes from, especially meat and other animal products. There is growing unease about how animals are raised on industrial farms. Consumers want to support farmers who are raising animals humanely. At the same time, humane farmers struggle to compete in a marketplace that’s saturated with cheap meat, misleadingly labelled as “natural.” Now a new bill — H.750 – would help our state’s farmers stay competitive by providing financial support for responsible practices and meaningful animal welfare certifications.
We know the importance of farm animal welfare and the value of these certifications because we run an animal welfare certified farm and it is an integral part of our business. Stark Hollow Farm is an independent family business with a mission to manage our farm in sync with nature, producing healthy, sustainable products from animals whose quality of life is our passion. We raise Icelandic sheep, American Milking Devon cattle and Tamworth pigs and are certified by a program called Animal Welfare Approved (AWA). The sheep and cattle we raise are also “certified grassfed” as part of the AWA program.
We sought out this program because it requires some of the highest animal welfare standards in the nation and we wanted a way to communicate our commitment to humane practices to our customers. We focus on animal welfare rather than high production and believe that this is increasingly important to consumers, not just here in Vermont, but nationally. We have found that consumers appreciate that our animals are free to express themselves and live in a way that is true to their nature. Our customers also value the fact that our farming practices are less resource intensive than industrial farming, and that we work in harmony with the natural environment.
Increased transparency around how farm animals are raised is not a passing trend. Consumers expect to have more information about animal welfare and are no longer falling for unregulated labels like “free-range” and “cage-free.” Companies and brands are paying attention, with a sizable number committing to sourcing from welfare-certified producers, including Whole Foods Market, Ben & Jerry’s, Niman Ranch, Pete and Gerry’s, Applegate, and Panera Bread.
H.750 would create a new grant program to help Vermont farmers get welfare-certified to take part in this fast growing market. Farmers could apply for matching grants to help them pay for on-farm improvements necessary to meet the requirements of welfare certification, including building new infrastructure, purchasing equipment or fencing, and installing environmental enrichments, as well as certification and auditing fees. Our farm needed to make a number of alterations in order to become Animal Welfare Approved and would have benefited greatly from the type of funding proposed in H.750. These types of grants can be stepping stones for farms like ours looking to invest in their businesses and the welfare of their animals, offering the boost and support farmers need to make the transition to certification.
Vermont is a leader on many fronts, but particularly so when it comes to local, sustainable agriculture. States across the country look to Vermont to set the bar for high quality, responsibly produced food. Stark Hollow Farm is proud to be part of Vermont’s great heritage as a leader in these areas and we hope to see more and more farms follow our lead. Through H.750, Vermonters have a chance to introduce a first-in-the-nation bill to support the state’s responsible farmers, lifting up a more humane, transparent farming system while simultaneously helping boost our rural economy by giving farmers access to large and growing premium markets. We urge the Vermont Legislature to pass H.750 and improve the welfare of our farmers and animals, and to continue our state’s legacy of being at the forefront of the good food movement.
