What is Animal Welfare?
People are increasingly becoming concerned about the extensive cruelty caused to animals in conventional meat production. Hence nowadays meat producers are using animal welfare methodologies.
Free Range Meat
Free range meat production involves providing open air access to animals instead of confining them to barns. They should be free to roam in open fields along with other animals and should receive natural light. Open pasture access (for at least 120 days in a year) is an important criterion for organic meat production.
Organic Meat Demand
Organic meat constitutes only a small part of the entire meat industry globally; however, its increasing demand has attracted the attention of all. The demand for organic meat increased by 51% in 2005 in North America.
Different Types of Meat
Which Types of Meat Do You Use To Prepare Your Favourite Meat Recipe?
Meat comes from different animals and we know most of them. This article does not cover the types of animals, but the way the animals have been grown. Traditionally animals were grown in free space / outdoors, but now most of the animals are grown in a factory mode of operation where they are force fed with specific feed including hormones and animal by-products, not allowed to exercise, and forced to remain congested in a small area till they are butchered.
Due to the alleged problems with conventional meat, people are now moving towards organic meat. Consumers are also demanding natural meat and grass fed meat as they are normally considered healthy and rich in nutrients.
Certified Organic Meat
According to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY), requirements for certified organic meat include the following:
Benefits of Organic Grass Fed Beef
Research has shown that grass fed beef has higher nutritional value as it has more Omega3, Vitamin E, and CLA content than conventional beef. In fact, presence of these nutrients in organic milk is one of the most important reasons for increased demand of organic milk. The USDA does stress the importance of pasture access for production of organic dairy products.
