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CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS |
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| TUESDAY - MAY 20, 2008 | |
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The Cost of Animal Welfare |
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Lisa SCHOPPA PetSafe Product Development Manager Continental Airlines P.O. Box 4607, HQSMZ Houston, TX 77210 USA
Tel: +1 713-324-4987
As Continental Cargo’s PetSafe Product Development Manager, Lisa is responsible for product development and sales of Specialty products including Live Animals, Human Remains and Perishable and Temperature Sensitive Products, focusing primarily on the pharmaceutical industry. Lisa has spent nearly 24 years in the airline industry, handling positions of increasing stature and responsibility. She joined Houston-based Continental Airlines in 1984. She began her career with Passenger Reservations and was eventually promoted to Global Reservations Training and Quality Assurance Manager for world-wide passenger reservations. In 1996, Lisa moved to the Cargo Division where she worked to develop the Cargo Customer Service Center into a world-class operation. Lisa’s team was recognized by the Air Transport Association for outstanding customer service by a call center, and has remained at the top of that category. Shortly after arriving at Cargo, she established the Live Animal Desk (now known as the PetSafe Desk) in January 1997. She helped to launch the successful PetSafe program in June 2000, and in 2003, she was asked to move to Cargo Headquarters to manage specialty products where she continues to advance Continental’s PetSafe product. Lisa is a native of Houston, Texas; a graduate of the University of Houston with a Liberal Arts degree including a minor in History (her particular interest is Texas History). She’s been married to her High School sweetheart, David, for the past 31 years, and together they have 3 children ages 26, 22 and 19. Her family is completed by one cat named Miss Kitty and three dogs - a Chinese Pug named Ally; a Maltese named Jackson and a Boxer named Biff.
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“The Cost to Airlines”
Lisa SCHOPPA PetSafe Product Development Manager Continental Airlines
Airlines have to take a serious look at the cost of transporting animals when they consider including it as one of the services that are to be offered. In addition to the simple costs of labor, fuel, facilities, etc., there's a cost to reputation. In the move to be "politically correct' and not offend customers, we have to make hard decisions on whether to transport some types of animals at all (such as laboratory / research animals). Having equipment necessary to perform the function is basic, and this consideration starts when a plane is ordered from the manufacturer. If animals are to be transported, then cargo holds on airplanes must be pressurized , ventilated , heated and/or cooled to ensure the welfare of the animals they are carrying. Sometimes this cost is part of a standard package from the manufacturer; other times it is not and is an added cost (in Millions of USD). Secondly, the airline needs to consider the cost of having special equipment necessary for ground handling of animals. As an example, Continental Airlines has special transport vehicles at their main hubs where weather conditions can be a concern. These special vehicles are used for transporting animals from the cargo terminal to the planeside or to assist with connections (from plane to plane). These transport vehicles are temperature controlled so can be used in all weather conditions and are fairly unique to Continental Airlines. Continental has a policy of “last on; first off” which means that the animals stay in the temperature controlled vehicles as long as possible and are loaded on the aircraft after all of the other cargo. When the plane arrives at its destination, the animals are offloaded first and immediately transferred to a temperature controlled vehicle if weather conditions require it. Also, if an animal become ills or is injured in transit, the airline must take the necessary steps to secure emergency medical care, if required. In addition to planes and equipment, the airline needs to invest in training personnel – both ground handling and counter employees – in the proper procedures for receiving shipments and handling animals in their care as well as the required Security training for accepting "cargo" (albeit live) as required by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) . Agents must be aware of all the rules and be able to meet the expectations of the animal's owner (keep it safe and arrive as planned) as well as meet expectations of several governmental authorities for documentation, pre-alerts, inspections, etc. And specific procedures must be developed to cover any situation that arises. Many airlines are now following Continental’s lead and establishing a dedicated animal shipping call center for booking reservations and handling in-transit situations that might arise. Once the animal is in the care of the airline, there is the cost of security of the animal and of the shipment, as well as securing the information (shipper, consignee, type of animals, etc.). And, finally, the cost to the airline in terms of public relations is very important. If there is an incident or the animal rights activists decide to campaign against the airline’s transport of lab animals, then not only is there the tangible cost to the airline in terms of dollars and cents in responding to their claims but there is also the intangible cost in harmed perception by the general public. A campaign against an airline by activists can cost a great deal in lost sales (passengers) and is often more costly than the revenue generated by that particular animal type. Bottom line is ... it's all about the bottom line. Moving animals 'for the greater good' is a nice concept, but Airlines are not 'non-profit' organizations and must make the best decisions for themselves and their shareholders. It 's up to those of us involved in the day-to-day transport activities to ensure the welfare of the animals in our care while staying within mandated budget constraints. |
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Roger WRAPSON Secretary Livestock Carriers Group Road Haulage Association LTD (RHA-UK) Roadway House 35 Monument Hill Weybridge Surrey KT13 8RN UK
Tel: +44 (0)1932 838911 Fax: +44 (0)1932838912
Roger Wrapson has recently retired from the position of Senior Manager of the Road Haulage Association of the UK where he was responsible for a number of high profile projects. He was for many years Secretary of the Association’s Livestock Carrier’s Group which, under the Chairmanship of Eddie Harper MBE, had some direct influence with the European Commission into the latest European Animal Welfare Regulation 1/2005. At the same time he was responsible for the Association’s Business Management Services which provided a regular survey on the movements of the UK transport industry operating costs. Roger is an author and broadcaster on transport related subjects, and has been a member of a number of DEFRA Committees, particularly during UK animal disease outbreaks. He was previously Transport and Distribution Director for a UK Market Leader PLC.
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“The Cost to the Trucking Industry”
Roger WRAPSON Road Haulage Association (RHA-UK)
The European Commission has decided on a range of new measures designed to improve Animal Welfare, some of them significant, some merely detailed but all impose an additional cost to the livestock transport industry. The following questions were addressed: · ● How strong is this industry in order to attract entrepreneurs to come forward?
· ● Operating Costs in the transport industry are escalating upwards, while the livestock transport industry is only a link in the supply chain that is dependent on positive market forces either side of it. How robust is this supply chain?
· ● Should the European Commission make plans to improve the resilience of this supply chain?
· ● What lessons can be learned from the financial effect of disease and movement standstills on the industry?
· ● Indeed, is it safe for the Industry to leave Animal Welfare to the Legislators or is it too important for that?
· ● Are the new welfare requirements fit for purpose or is the transport industry itself an endangered species?
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Dr. Martin APPELT Humane Transportation of Animals Specialist Canadian Food Inspection Agency 59 Camelot Drive Ottawa, ON K1A 0Y9
Tel: +1 613 221-3779 Fax: +1 613 228-6144
Bio below power point
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“Animal Welfare and The Cost of Government Regulation - Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?”
Dr. Martin APPELT Humane Transportation of Animals Specialist Canadian Food Inspection Agency
With emotionally unpleasant topics, such as mistreatment of animals, a natural tendency is to distance oneself from the emotional aspect and look at the problem from a “factual” standpoint. Is it worth the money to invest into further improvements of animal “welfare”? Does the return justify the investment? Is it a defendable use of taxpayers’ money to pay some government employees to ensure creature happiness? Perhaps the real reason behind the constant demands for more and more investment into animal welfare is that the general public, unenlightened about food production or animal needs, interferes with animal production and transport based on half-baked assumptions? The presentation attempted to shed some light on the perceptions of self-governance and how government discovers the need to regulate. While it is difficult to put a price on the cost of animal welfare measures, it is much easier to put a price on the cost of not having animal welfare measures in place. |
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Dr. Appelt graduated from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna, Austria (founded 1765) in 1996 and worked in farm animal practice in Austria and the UK, trying his best to cure and do no harm. Prior to that, during a year at the vet school in Dublin, Ireland, he not only sampled local brews but also sailed on livestock ships, carrying slaughter and breeding cattle to Libya and Egypt. He was able to subsequently interest the UVM in Vienna to allow him to pursue a PhD project on cattle transport at sea, which was completed in 2001. Between 1998 and 2002 Dr. Appelt worked as a port veterinarian at an EU port of entry and part-time in mixed practice. Dr. Appelt joined the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in 2003 and work exclusively in animal transportation and welfare. Some of his publications: · The Canadian Approach to Science-Based Regulation of the Long Distance Transport of Animals (2008), Veterinaria Italiana 44(1) 95-99 · Stunning and killing cattle humanely and reliably in emergency situations — A comparison between a stunning-only and a stunning and pithing protocol , Can Vet J. 2007 May; 48(5): 529–534 · Amended Health of Animals Regulations to Prohibit the Transport of Non-Ambulatory Livestock (2005), Can Vet J (46), 1132-1135 · Non-Ambulatory Livestock Transport – The Need for Consensus (2003), Can Vet J (44), 667-672 |
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Last Updated: 19-Jun-2009 |
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