Development of Canada’s first national Code of Practice for Rabbits has begun
(Ottawa) 16 February 2015 – The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) is pleased to announce that the Syndicat des producteurs de lapins du Québec, working in partnership with other provincial rabbit groups, will lead the development of a Code of Practice for Rabbits. The rabbit Code will be developed through NFACC’s Code development process.
The Codes of Practice are guidelines for the care and handling of farm animals in Canada. They serve as our national understanding of animal care requirements and recommended practices. The Codes are educational tools, reference materials for regulations and the foundation for farm animal care assessment programs.
"The development of this Code is an excellent opportunity for Canada’s rabbit sector to come together and establish a national standard that ensures a good quality of life for rabbits raised in Canada,” states Maxime Tessier, Québec producer and Chair of the Code Development Committee. “The NFACC Code process ensures this Code is relevant, current and developed with input from across our diverse sector.”
The NFACC Code development process enables the industry, government and researchers to come together to develop standards that will assist farmers in making decisions on behalf of their animals. Stakeholder commitment is the key to ensuring that quality animal care standards are established and implemented. The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies is one of many active participants in the process. “Collaboration is key to the success of the Code development process. We look forward to working with the rabbit industry on the development of their Code of Practice,” says Meghann Cant of the BC SPCA who represents the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.
Since 2009 seven Codes have been updated and released through the NFACC process. Four additional Codes are in the process of being updated. The rabbit Code is the first to be newly created under this process. Visit www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice for details and a timeline outlining the steps and progress made on the various Codes.
Revisions to the Codes of Practice have been made possible by funding received from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada under Growing Forward 2, a federal –provincial –territorial initiative.
About NFACC
NFACC is a collaborative partnership of diverse stakeholders created in 2005 to share information and work together on farm animal care and welfare. It is the national lead for farm animal care in Canada. For more information visit www.nfacc.ca.
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For more information contact:
Jackie Wepruk
General Manager & Project Coordinator
National Farm Animal Care Council
Phone: (403) 783-4066
nfacc@xplornet.com
www.nfacc.ca
Armand Plourde
Directeur général
Syndicat des producteurs de lapins du Québec
Phone: (450) 679-0540 ext 8789
armandplourde@upa.qc.ca
www.lapinduquebec.qc.ca
Michelle Sanders
President
Ontario Rabbit
Phone: (519) 887-8271
info@ontariorabbit.ca
www.ontariorabbit.ca
