Meat + Poultry - January 2004 - 8

And now, some good news
Editor's note: Despite the dark cloud created with this past month's suspected discovery
of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in a single Washington State dairy cow (see The
Front Page, Page 3), the future of meat and poultry processing does have some bright
spots illuminating the new year. - JC
This past fall I traveled to Sioux Center, Iowa, to satisfy my own curiosity. At the invitation
of Gary Malenke, president and C.E.O. of Sioux-Preme Packing Co., I saw first hand what
proactive measures can do for a company. For Malenke and the ownership team of the niche
pork processing company, the best defense came in the form of a six-figure investment.
Just days prior to my visit, the company had cut the ribbon on its newly renovated animal receiving and handling area. Sioux-Preme had never failed an audit by its suppliers,
says Malenke. Nor was the plant responding to media reports about cruelty to animals or
livestock suffering.
Instead, Malenke says, the company viewed the $1-million investment in the facility as
the next logical step in the firm's growth. He figured they'd preemptively address an issue
every company will face, if they haven't already. New lighting, grooved floors, improved airflow and eliminating sharp objects in holding areas are just a few of the steps Sioux-Preme
took in heading off a hot-button issue at the pass.
"Too bad more companies don't take a page from their book," I thought as I drove back
to the airport. At the same time, I realized small companies are better equipped for such
proactive steps. They have fewer corporate layers to work through and are void of Wall
Street-type investors looking over their shoulder. Then the industry's biggest player went
to the next level.

The magnitude and breadth of animal handling
warrants a designated position, headed by a
veterinarian who knows how the system works.
Within weeks of my Sioux-Preme tour, Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson Foods, Inc., announced it had created an Office of Animal Well-Being. The news came just before Thanksgiving and went largely unreported by the mainstream press. Even where it was reported,
any mention of the impact on the rest of the processing industry was implied at best, but
universally understated.
Tyson's announcement exemplifies what it means to be proactive. The office is modeled
after a similar position utilized by IBP, inc., before Tyson acquired the company in 2001. Its
purpose then was to oversee that company's "Handle with Care" campaign, which targeted
its beef and pork production. With the creation of the now company-wide Office of Animal
Well-Being, the scope has expanded to include all of Tyson's poultry operations in addition
to its beef and pork facilities.
Animal handling issues and the scrutiny with which they are viewed, warrant companies
designating a person, a department, a budget and a staff to address the issues on a full-time
basis. For Tyson, the go-to person is animal welfare expert Dr. Kellye Pfalzgraf. A 23-year
veteran of the industry, Pfalzgraf served as a veterinary medical officer with the U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service prior to his appointment with Tyson.
Uninformed critics of the industry's animal handling practices have, for years, applied a
full-court press on the slaughtering process. The industry's leading company is now countering those efforts in a proactive, well-planned manner. The magnitude and breadth of
animal handling warrants a designated position, headed by a veterinarian who knows how
the system works from the inside out.
Regardless of a company's size, progressive corporate decisions and investments that
are made to address volatile issues like humane livestock handling should be applauded,
especially in a time when good news is overshadowed by gloom and doom headlines.
- Joel Crews, Managing Editor
jcrews@sosland.com

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JANUARY 2004

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Meat + Poultry - January 2004

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