Does Laura's Lean Beef believe in humane treatment for its cattle?
From the beginning, Laura's Lean Beef has been committed to raising animals from birth in a humane manner, following good animal husbandry practices. We work with family farmers across the country, farmers who are contractually bound to raise cattle according to the same standards Laura holds on her own farm. Laura's Lean Beef cattle representatives inspect these farms to insure these standards are met. Farmers need to meet guidelines in six categories:
1) Food safety: This includes keeping the cattle's food and water fresh, and bedding areas clean. Adherence to animal health product labels is monitored as well to ensure appropriate preventive health care for the cattle.
2) Animal care: This refers to the humane treatment of animals, providing (among other things) adequate space, shelter, etc.
3) Feed stuffs: We test cattle feed for pesticide residue and antibiotics. We use only natural feedstuffs, no food waste or animal by-products. We recommend that our farmers feed only crops that have not been genetically modified.
4) Animal health: Cattle raised for Laura's Lean Beef must receive proper nutrition and appropriate preventive health measures.
5) Cattle handling and behavior: Proper handling of cattle minimizes stress on the animals.
6) Record keeping and inventory control is imperative to assure accountability, and records must be kept for a minimum of two years.
