The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) announced work has begun to update the 2001 Recommended Code of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals:
Identified by NFACC’s members and other stakeholders as being in need of an update, the revised Code of Practice for the Transportation of Livestock and Poultry will convey requirements and recommended practices for livestock and poultry transporters, as well as other stakeholders in the farm animal transportation continuum.
In keeping with NFACC’s Code development process, a survey to capture top-of-mind welfare concerns from any and all stakeholders has been launched and is available at www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice/transportation. Survey input will be shared with and inform the Code Development Committee’s deliberations throughout the process.
“We are embarking on a challenge unlike any other NFACC has undertaken to date,” says Ryder Lee, Chair of NFACC. “We are very proud of the 12 on-farm, species-specific Codes of Practice that we have developed so far using our unique and collaborative process. However, the Livestock and Poultry Transportation Code, which will cover 14 different species of animals, requires the experience and expertise of a truly significant number of stakeholders.” Lee adds, “The scope of this important work extends beyond the normal reach of NFACC members in that it includes livestock and poultry trucking, marketing, as well as the poultry catching sectors.”
Stakeholders with diverse insights and experiences, including livestock and poultry transporters and producers, intermediary site operators, processors, veterinarians, researchers, animal welfare advocates, and enforcement groups, will participate on the Code Development Committee and several Working Groups to develop Code content. The Code is expected to be completed in early 2023.
Livestock and poultry transporters who would like to learn more about the process, or who would like to be considered as Working Group participants, are asked to contact Betsy Sharples by email at betsy@nfacc.ca.
Three Codes – transportation, dairy cattle, and goats – are being updated and a new farmed finfish Code is being developed. Visit www.nfacc.ca for more details and a timeline outlining the steps and progress made on the various Codes.