The Provincial Animal Care Committee is made up of various commodity groups in Manitoba that have come together to talk about issues that affect the livestock industry, update activities undertaken by different groups and share proactive initiatives that help foster a positive image of livestock producers and how livestock are raised.

The committee will host its first meeting of 2013 on 23 May in Winnipeg.

Brenda Bazylewski, the director of public relations and communications with Manitoba Egg Farmers and the chair of the Provincial Animal Care Committee, says for the most part the public is looking for assurances that they can trust the farmers, the primary care givers of the animals, to do the right thing.

Brenda Bazylewski - Manitoba Egg Farmers

Certainly the public plays an enormous role in how they perceive how we look after our animals and the public interest is heightened.

There is a real curiosity out there from a public perspective as to where their food comes from.
I think, as livestock producers of food, we recognize that we want to align with public values and so we're working in those areas as well.

We talk about how progressive and responsible our farmers are by taking a look at how we raise in particular, in our group, our hens and looking at ways that we can incorporate more innovations and so on that actually improve the care of the animals.

They're very receptive to that.

It's not the details they want, they just simply want to know that farmers are moving in a direction that's progressive and are doing the right things by their animals.

Ms Bazylewski says there is a recognition of the importance of maintaining the well being of our animals, there are a lot of common issues to be addressed and we can share and learn from each other.