Retailers, consumers want standards | The dilemma is to address concerns without putting producers out of business
TORONTO — Updated codes of practice for better farm animal welfare are on the drawing board, but few producers will use them if these manuals are not practical.
Codes for humane animal handling and care have existed since the 1980s. Some provinces incorporated them into animal care legislation and some associations made them part of their quality assurance programs. However, those involved in writing the updates want a broader acceptance of the guidelines among individual producers.
“Mailing out codes of practice is great, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that people are actually opening the book and looking at it,” said Jackie Wepruk, manager of the National Farm Animal Care Council.
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Retailers and consumers want proof that the codes are being followed, she said at an animal welfare symposium organized by the Canadian Meat Council in Toronto Oct. 11-12.
Codes for dairy, beef cattle, mink, ranched fox, pigs, equine, sheep, poultry and layers as well as codes for transport of farm animals are set for completion in 2013 and 2014.
The dairy code of practice was completed in 2009 and is being tested in the field.
“Every single committee is dealing with the same kinds of issues,” said Wepruk.
All must address pain management, comfortable housing systems and feed requirements without putting farmers out of business.
That could be a challenge for hog producers, said Catherine Scovil of the Canadian Pork Council.
The pork code of practice is due in 2013 and could require farmers to make expensive changes in their barns.
“This is going to happen to an industry that really is quite fragile,” she said.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency also expects certain standards once animals are shipped to processors, said welfare specialist Anne Allen.
“CFIA does not have any clear regulatory authority on farm. Unless there is a disease outbreak, we are not there,” she said.
It takes over once animals arrive at a federally inspected slaughter plant.
A revised chapter about meat processing regulations is being released in January to ensure processors have written animal welfare programs similar in format to their hazard analysis critical control points plans.
Federal inspectors expect animals to arrive in good condition because they are being used to make food.
“We need to demonstrate that animal welfare standards are being met and what the codes do … is demonstrate that we are doing things right and that the animals being made into food in federal establishments meet a particular standard,” she said.
The dairy and pork industries have incorporated animal welfare into their on-farm food safety programs. While programs are described as voluntary, no federal processors will deal with them if they are not certified, said Wepruk.
Industry representatives provided outlines of where their respective codes of practices stand.
Chicken Farmers of Canada re-leased the first draft of its code of practice in 2009 with consultation from more than 40 stakeholders, said spokesperson Steve Leech.
The animal care program is meant to show the public and government that proper care was used at the farm level and consists of mandatory and highly recommended requirements.
It is run in conjunction with the on-farm food safety program, and annual audits were initiated in 2009 to validate implementation and certification. About 65 percent of Canadian chicken farms are certified. Ninety percent will be certified next year, although some provinces say they have 100 percent certification.
The program covers feed and water requirements, environmental conditions such as humidity, temperature and ammonia controls, bird density, biosecurity, health care practices, catching and loading, pest control and transportation.
The hog industry introduced codes of practice in 1984 and 1993 with an updated version expected next year.
The hog industry wants one national standard of good care that producers, researchers, processors and government can support, said Scovil.
The Canadian pork quality assurance program was merged this year with an animal welfare program.
More than 93 percent of pork produced in Canada is from CQA farms. Although it is called a voluntary program, it is a condition of sale to most federal plants in Canada.
Farms undergo an assessment in which they are visited by auditors once per year, with document reviews in the second and third years. The cycle then repeats.
The CFIA has reviewed the Turkey Farmers of Canada quality assurance program and growers are moving toward a total flock care program that will be managed the same way as the food safety program, said Colleen McElwain.
Codes have been in place since 1989, but the first one dealt with all poultry without special consideration for turkeys, she said.
To join the flock care initiative, farmers must already be on an on-farm food safety program that includes biosecurity, bird health, feed and water directives. Certification for the two programs is separate.
Farmers conduct a self audit twice a year and the provincial marketing boards audit producers annually.
On-farm food safety covers catchers, transportation and biosecurity requirements while the flock care program oversees the climate in the barn, access to feed and water, lighting, density, litter management and treatment of sick or injured birds.
Staff must be trained to handle birds, and the number of birds not shipped because of welfare concerns needs to be recorded.
The beef industry developed a voluntary humane code of practice in 1991 and plans to release a new version in 2013. This time there is a clear separation of requirements and recommended practices, said Ryder Lee of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association.
It is not a how-to farm manual. Instead, it focuses on areas where animal welfare could be an issue, including handling painful procedures such as dehorning, castration and branding, feedlot health, weaning methods and managing animals that live mostly outdoors.
Egg Farmers of Canada released its last code in 2003 and plans a new version next year, said spokesperson Chris Nash.
There are 1,000 producer members, and Egg Farmers of Canada staff inspects each farm annually. Corrections may be recommended, and followups are done to make sure problems were fixed.
Farms must achieve near perfect scores on cage density, cage conditions, records for feed treatments, ammonia concentrations, feather scoring and euthanasia. The code will be outcome based, and producers will have to adapt their animal care programs to comply.
Many types of production systems exist in Canada, including conventional cage housing, free run production, aviaries and enriched cages, which are larger units with nest boxes and perches.
This industry deals mostly with producing fertile eggs for hatcheries.
The breeding hens require careful management on the farm, where they produce eggs for about a year. Some are shipped for processing at the end of the cycle, said Viki Sikur, an animal welfare officer with the organization.
The last code was released in 2003 with an emphasis on proper animal care and best practices suited to Canadian conditions.
Industry practices have changed and the birds are genetically different since the last code was released, so new management guidelines are needed, said Sikur.
Each producer receives operating manuals, but all involved agree they want a national program that is implemented by the provinces. The program needs to be based on current research, regulations and industry standards that are practical for breeder operations.
The welfare codes of practice are to be reviewed in parallel with the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers quality program.
For more information, visit www.nfacc.ca/animal-care-assessment-model.
