Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed named as the 2017 Metacam® 20* Bovine Welfare Award winner
Omaha, Nebraska, September 14, 2017 – Dr. Joyce Van Donkersgoed of Coaldale, Alberta has been named the recipient of the 2017 Metacam® 20 Bovine Welfare Award for her leadership in the Canadian beef industry to improve the welfare of feedlot animals.
The award is presented annually by the Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians (CABV) / Association Canadienne des Vétérinaires Bovins (ACVB) in partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health. Dr. Van Donkersgoed was presented with the award at the 50th annual conference of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners on September 14, 2017 in Omaha, Nebraska.
“We are honoured to announce Dr. Van Donkersgoed as the recipient of the 2017 Metacam® 20 Bovine Welfare Award,” said Dr. Germain Nappert, President of the CABV/ACVB. “Her leadership in the area of animal welfare is exemplary, and her work will help improve the welfare of feedlot animals across the country.”
Dr. Van Donkersgoed operates a private feedlot practice in southern Alberta where she provides emergency, herd health and production services, and research and regulatory services to her clients. She was instrumental in the development of the Canadian Feedlot Animal Care Assessment tool for auditing animal welfare, which has been certified by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization. It is the first certified audit designed for the feedlot segment of the food production industry.
“You can’t manage what you don’t measure, which includes animal welfare, and we must continually strive to improve,” Dr. Van Donkersgoed said. “Beef veterinarians have a key ethical and moral responsibility to ensure animal welfare whilst balancing the needs of their clients. It isn’t always simple or easy to do but persistence does pay off over time if you don’t give up and are doing the right thing for the animals, which is ultimately best for the client.”
Dr. Van Donkersgoed is currently leading the development of a certified feedlot animal auditor program, and is a trainer for feedlot auditors. She places an emphasis on continued education and provides regular training to her clients on a range of topics including how to conduct animal welfare assessments.
Jeffrey Estabrooks, Business Unit Director (Bovine) with Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, explained the Metacam® 20 Bovine Welfare Award recognizes and encourages those who research and practice animal welfare and well-being.
“We are delighted to present Dr. Van Donkersgoed with the 2017 Metacam® 20 Bovine Welfare Award,” Estabrooks said. “We applaud her commitment to improving the welfare of feedlot animals through the development of comprehensive industry standards, and her work to train producers and auditors on the welfare assessment program.”
Estabrooks thanked the CABV/ACVB for its work to seek nominations and select the recipient of the award.
Metacam® 20 Bovine Welfare Award
The Metacam® 20 Bovine Welfare Award is given annually to a DVM or animal scientist working in Canada, a faculty member or a graduate student of a Canadian university to recognize his/her achievements in advancing the welfare of animals via leadership, public service, education, research/product development, and/or advocacy. By doing so, the CABV/ACVB hopes to raise public awareness of the important role veterinarians and animal scientists play in:
- Improving bovine welfare in cattle production and research systems
- Improving scientific methods of measuring bovine welfare
About CABV/ACVB
The Canadian Association of Bovine Veterinarians (CABV) / Association Canadienne des Vétérinaires Bovins (ACVB) represents approximately 800 veterinarians from across Canada who have a specific interest in bovine health and production medicine. The Board is composed of thirteen members who are also representatives on the Boards of Canada’s four regional bovine associations: Atlantic Bovine Practitioners Association (ABPA), l'Association des Médecins Vétérinaires Praticiens du Québec (AMVPQ), Ontario Association of Bovine Practitioners (OABP) and the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners (WCABP).
About Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health
Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is committed to fostering the health and well-being of mankind by promoting the emotional and physical benefits arising from the human animal bond. It has been providing solutions for the prevention and treatment of diseases in animals for almost 60 years.
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
For more than 130 years, Boehringer Ingelheim – a research-based pharmaceutical company – has stood for the development of innovative medicines for people and animals.
Boehringer Ingelheim is one of the pharmaceutical industry’s top 20 companies and to this day remains family-owned. Day by day, some 50,000 employees create value through innovation for the three business areas human pharmaceuticals, animal health and biopharmaceutical contract manufacturing. In 2016, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of around 15.9 billion euros. With more than three billion euros, R&D expenditure corresponds to 19.6 per cent of net sales.
Social responsibility comes naturally to Boehringer Ingelheim. That is why the company is involved in social projects such as the “Making More Health” initiative. Boehringer Ingelheim also actively promotes workforce diversity and benefits from its employees’ different experiences and skills. Furthermore, the focus is on environmental protection and sustainability in everything the company does.
The Canadian headquarters of Boehringer Ingelheim was established in 1972 in Montreal, Quebec and is now located in Burlington, Ontario. Boehringer Ingelheim employs approximately 600 people across Canada.
For more information please visit www.boehringer-ingelheim.ca
*Registered trade name: Metacam® 20mg/mL Solution for injection
Media contacts:
Phyllis Mierau Administrator CABV/ACVB
- Email: cabv.acvb@sasktel.net
- Phone: (306) 956-3543
Merry Garbutt
- Corporate Communications Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
- Email: merry.garbutt@boehringer-ingelheim.com
- Phone: (905) 631-4531