Join Us in Welcoming the Newest ACER Team Members!

Our team has grown by two! We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Hanne Goetz and Dr. Claire Windeyer have joined us at ACER.

Hanne is our new Research Associate, bringing a strong foundation in epidemiology, education, and agricultural communication. She completed her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Guelph's Department of Population Medicine, where her work focused on improving health and welfare outcomes for non-replacement dairy calves during transport.

Claire is joining us as a Consultant after 14 years at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine as an Associate Professor. Her interests include pre-weaning calf health and welfare, producer perceptions and decision-making, and knowledge mobilization. Claire completed her BSc, DVM, and DVSc degrees at the University of Guelph. She was raised in Nova Scotia and now lives on a small farm near Dogpound, Alberta.

We look forward to what Hanne and Claire bring to our team and hope you’ll join us in welcoming them to this exciting new chapter!

Beyond Compliance: The Role of Quality Assurance in Animal Agriculture

Trust, transparency, and accountability aren't optional anymore — they’re table stakes in today’s agricultural system. But how do we ensure, and then 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦, good outcomes across complex supply chains? That’s where quality assurance (QA) programs come in.

In our latest thought piece, we dig into the evolving role of QA — its power, its pitfalls, and its future:

✅ How QA brings consistency, structure, and credibility to animal welfare
✅ Why it's more than a checklist — and how it can drive real progress
⚖️ The challenges of implementation: from paperwork overload to meaningful metrics
📊 The untapped potential of data and tech to support continuous improvement
🌱 What it takes to move from compliance to confidence — for producers, consumers, and the broader industry

QA can be a powerful platform for trust and alignment — but only if we get it right. The goal isn’t just proving compliance. It’s about building systems that producers believe in, consumers trust, and that actually improve animal welfare outcomes.

Read the full article below!

What Are We Reading This Month?

Comparison of behavioural indicators of acute pain and stress during and after three methods of handling and restraint for pre-weaned beef calves

In a nutshell: This study evaluated the welfare impacts of three common restraint methods—roping and wrestling (RW), roping and Nord fork (RNF), and tilt table (TT)—on pre-weaned beef calves during routine processing in western Canada. Researchers assessed behavioral indicators of pain and stress in 117 calves, comparing both processed and control animals. TT calves experienced the longest handling and restraint durations and showed the highest rates of struggling, while RNF calves had the highest vocalization rates during processing and were more likely to run upon release. After processing, RNF calves also showed the most foot stomping, followed by RW, then TT calves. Although each method was associated with different stress-related behaviors, no injuries were observed, and no single method was clearly superior or detrimental, highlighting the need for further research into the welfare implications of specific restraint practices.

Real-World Resources

New Podcast Episode on the Role of Quality Assurance in Dairy

🎧 Quality assurance programs have stepped in to bridge the gap between on-farm practices and the rising expectations of consumers, processors, and policymakers. But are they living up to the promise? We sat down with Lucy Collins - a veterinarian, dairy farmer, mom and 2021 Nuffield Scholar - to unpack this further.

Here are some key takeaways from our conversation with Lucy:

✅ 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. QA programs create real value when they move beyond participation and focus on driving meaningful, measurable on-farm change.

✅ 𝗨𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. Benchmarking is a powerful but underutilized tool that can empower producers, spark innovation, and turn data into action.

✅ 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀. Engagement starts with clarity, not compliance. Clear, compelling communication turns compliance into active collaboration, fostering genuine buy-in and stronger partnerships.

✅ 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. By fully integrating technology with on-farm data, QA programs can evolve into smarter, more efficient, and more credible systems that drive continuous improvement.

✅ 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁. Establishing universal standards for terms like “grass-fed” and “pasture access” offers a major opportunity to enhance consumer trust, create clarity, and boost dairy market strength.

Check it out below!