Handbook a tool in monitoring animal welfare

A new handbook should make things clearer when it comes to potential illegal activity on Iowa livestock operations.

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship released an animal welfare handbook three months ago with the hope that it will be a tool law enforcement agencies and county attorneys can use when responding to complaints.

The handbook outlines roles and responsibilities for agencies that could be involved in investigating possible illegal activity.

Katie Rumsey, assistant state veterinarian, says her office gets many calls annually involving animal welfare.

“This handbook should help better evaluate the condition of those animals,” she says. “It’s really a step-by-step guide to walk everyone through these cases.”

The first section of the handbook outlines each agency’s role and regulatory jurisdiction based on Iowa Code 717 and 717B. The second section emphasizes the importance of advanced planning for law enforcement, including researching temporary housing options.

The third section outlines each animal species’ unique housing, nutrition and veterinary needs to help law enforcement objectively evaluate potential neglect and welfare concerns. It also includes step-by-step guidance to help county attorneys document the situation and build a strong animal neglect case.

Rumsey says the handbook should serve as a valuable resource for law enforcement.

“So far we have received a lot of positive feedback about the handbook,” she says. “We like that people are using it, and we’re hopeful that it helps answers a lot of questions people might have.”

Other groups are also highly involved in monitoring animal welfare, and that includes Iowa Farm Animal Care, a group that came together in 2012.

According to the group’s website,

“IFAC is a collaborative effort of farmers from the Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Pork Producers in cooperation with Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.”

The Iowa Beef Industry is also a voting member.

The organization fields many calls regarding animal welfare, says Mike Telford, IFAC executive director.

“We help answer those questions for people,” he says. “There’s a lot of livestock moving across the state, so the visibility is very high.”

Telford says the group has an active advisory committee which includes IDALS and the state veterinarian’s office. The group also works closely with Iowa’s sheriffs and deputies organization as well as the veterinary school and College of Agriculture at Iowa State.

Telford says the groups work together to make sure agencies are prepared for any situation.

“We need a system in place for first responders so they can handle something like a truck rollover,” Telford says. “So we added the DOT as another partner, and that has been a great addition.”

He says most of the calls are cattle related, primarily because they’re the most visible animal on Iowa farms.

He says in some cases farmers may be new to livestock production and don’t understand livestock well. He says many of the other calls involve mental or physical health challenges, where producers can’t take care of their animals in a timely manner.

“If you have questions, please give us a call at 800-252-0577,” he says. “We are here to help you.”