Animal Agriculture – Animal Dialogue

On March 5, 2019, Shao Yi, founder and CEO of Beijing Mu Niu Xian Sheng Animal Husbandry Technology Co., Ltd., Chang Ruishan, co-founder and executive vice president, and Cao Yuan, dean of Xian Sheng E-commerce Business School, visited the Animal Welfare International Cooperation Committee (ICCAW) office in China, and were warmly welcomed by the president A Yongxi and team members.

From the left: Cao Yuan, A Yongxi, Shao Yi, Chang Ruishan. @ICCAW

Shao Yi, the founder and CEO, introduced their company: Mu Niu Xian Sheng, meaning Cowherd Fresh, is a platform business that integrates the internet and intelligent information sharing into the beef cattle industry. Through the e-commerce app platform, consumers can pay to “adopt” cattle on the pasture. At the same time, consumers have access to the information collected by the sensors on the cattle, through which they can read their cows’ health status and amount of exercise. In this way, consumers are closely connected to the pasture, and adopters become the owners of the cattle.

The adoption page for cattle on the Mu Niu Xian Sheng App.
Translation: Cattle rearing period in months; predicted profit in %; price of each cow in ￥RMB (roughly $1,900 or $2,300 in USD)

Through the tracking system of the platform, consumers can clearly understand the production process of cattle beef, from breeding, slaughtering, to food processing, which enhances their confidence in food safety. Consumers can buy safe and high-quality beef products through the online store of Mu Niu Xian Sheng, which not only helps to promote the ranches but also breaks the conventional ways of purchasing beef products such as going to supermarkets or brand-specific stores.

The online store of the Mu Niu Xian Sheng app

The president of ICCAW says that the combination of e-commerce and beef cattle industry can solve the traditional disadvantages such as high input cost, long payback period, and difficulty in sales. Due to various uncertainties in beef cattle husbandry, many small and medium-sized ranches lack the ability to take risks, which results in unguaranteed income. Meanwhile, Mu Niu Xian Sheng has also started strategic cooperation with the insurance company, Ping An China, and insured every cow on the platform, greatly improving the cattle ranchers’ resilience to risks.

The Animal Welfare International Cooperation Committee (ICCAW)

In the end, the president of ICCAW approved of the model of combining the internet and beef cattle industry, and he is willing to help more beef cattle enterprises through applying the successful examples set by Mu Niu Xian Sheng.

All information comes from https://kknews.cc/

Translated by Dule

Edited by Andrea Jia and Riley Peng @ Animal Dialogue

How to maintain the balance between animal welfare and productivity and maximize animal welfare in the commercial farming process is an important topic for international animal welfare organizations. To this end, experts from the World Farm Animal Welfare Association, the Donkey Sanctuary, and the China Agricultural International Cooperation Promotion Association went to Dong’e Ejiao in August 2018 to conduct site visits to investigate the farmed donkeys’ welfare and discuss how to improve welfare and create more comfortable “homes” for donkeys. Dong’e Ejiao is a company that produces a type of condensed gelatin called “Ejiao” from donkey skin. In traditional Chinese medicine, Ejiao is used to improve the immune system and treat anemia.

Dr. Karen Rickards, an expert of welfare standard assessments at the British Welfare Association, spoke highly of Dong’e Ejiao’s efforts in improving donkey welfare. “The welfare of Dong’e Ejiao is very good in general and it is even better than those in the UK in some aspects such as providing sand pits for the donkeys.”

Dong’e Ejiao Welfare is also highly recognized by Stephen DeRoz, a professor of Small Animal and Horse Breeding in the Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Belgium.

As early as August 2017, at the First International Donkey Industry Development Academic Exchange Meeting, more than 400 experts from 16 countries gathered in Dong’e Ejiao to discuss the frontier topics in the development of the donkey industry and animal welfare.

Dong’e Ejiao advocates the rational use of animal products while protecting animals based on the principle of “common but differentiated.” It believes that the trade of animal products has its rationality and legitimacy, but at the same time, people should severely crack down on the illegal slaughter of smuggled animals and their biological products.

Not only the welfare of the donkeys has drawn a lot of attention, but the welfare of other animals has also received extensive attention and emphasis in China with remarkable results. At present, the world’s largest and most widely participated animal welfare conference, the 2nd World Farm Animal Welfare Conference, was successfully held in Beijing on October 24, 2018.

Modern food production conflicts with animal welfare. If there is no human interference, animals are in a natural state of welfare. If humans managed the animals properly, such as providing sufficient food and water, keeping them out of the attack of hunters, rendering medical care, and paying attention to their health conditions, then their productivity will increase and the animal welfare would be maximized. We need to reach a balance between animal welfare and productivity in the natural state to maximize animal welfare in commercial farming.

All information comes from news.html5.qq.com

Translated by Jiaxuan Han

Edited by Andrea Jia and Riley Peng @ Animal Dialogue

Tag: Animal Agriculture

Consumers can adopt cows and check on their cows on this Chinese app

The welfare of donkeys in China is highly recognized by international animal welfare experts