Poultry Code of Practice gets funding needed for update

The federal government has provided $2.2 million to NFACC to develop and update poultry codes of practice  

August 1, 2014 – The federal government has announced $2.2 million in funding to the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) to update and develop poultry codes and further advance
best practices for the care and handling of other farm animals. The announcement took place yesterday in Guelph, Ont. at the Poultry Industry Council‘s head office.

Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux said in a release that the investment “will help the industry  enhance its competitiveness both at home and abroad through promotion of assurance systems that will benefit the entire value chain.”

The NFACC is the organization responsible for reviewing the national Codes of Practice for farm animals, via the Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC).

NFACC’s members represent 28 different organizations spanning a broad cross-section of the animal agriculture industries and animal welfare groups. NFACC has the mandate to develop and review the Codes of Practice for the care and handling of livestock and to communicate current farm animal welfare activities.

The CAHC will build on previous work done with the NFACC and will update existing animal care codes for the poultry sector and develop three new codes of practice for additional sectors. Guidance materials will be developed to ensure that farmers have access to the latest,
most up-to-date codes and assessment programs, assuring customers that the product they choose has been raised to the strictest standards of animal welfare.

This funding announcement reinforces the importance of having up-to-date Codes of Practice, and the status of Canada’s world class food and agriculture systems, the Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC) said in a release. The Codes themselves are reviewed regularly to ensure that high standards for animal care are present in all types of livestock rearing and transport. They also make up the backbone of CFC’s animal care programs.

The Codes are science-based and go through rigorous examination, discussion, and assessment, including a 60-day public comment period. Many different groups are represented on the Codes Committees, including farmers, veterinarians, scientists and researchers, and groups associated with animal health and welfare protection.

CFC Chair Dave Janzen said “the Codes provide us with the ability to create and maintain sound, science-based animal care programs. We have a long history of working together to ensure that chickens are raised with the utmost care and we take pride in the measures we take to ensure the safety, health and well-being of the birds in our care.”

CFC’s Animal Care Program (ACP) is based on the poultry Code of Practice and will be updated to incorporate changes made during this Code revision.

CFC has been working on the poultry Code review committee during this latest process and has led the charge to updating the Code and ensuring that the highest standards and guidelines are included. The next phase of the Code review process will be launched with this new funding, and it is anticipated that the new Code of Practice for poultry will be completed by early 2016.

The funds announced are from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through their AgriMarketing Program, a part of Growing Forward II.