NFACC Information Update: March 2014
Closing off a Successful Advancing Animal Care and Addressing Market Expectations Agri-Flexibility Fund Project
The Advancing animal care and addressing market expectations project is now over with final project reports and a final audit to complete and submitted.
Six updated Codes of Practice have been released: pigs, sheep, beef cattle, equine, mink and farmed fox. Two more Codes were initiated: poultry (chicken, turkey and hatching egg) and poultry (layers). A new Animal Care Assessment Framework has been launched. A new dairy animal care assessment program has been drafted. This program, based on the 2009 dairy Code, provides proof of concept for the Animal Care Assessment Framework. Two national animal welfare conferences were held, featuring a range of leading speakers that addressed Canada’s achievements, challenges and future directions in farm animal welfare.
The relationships between stakeholder groups that have been built and strengthened were integral to the project’s success. The dedication of individuals has been tremendous. Since the project began in 2010 committee members have logged well over 24,000 professional in-kind hours to the development of the Codes and the Animal Care Assessment Framework. The advances made reflect the hard work of everyone involved to find a common direction on animal welfare and deliver progress that Canada can be proud of.
Thank you to everyone involved for your contribution in advancing animal care in Canada!
A final Project Achievements Report is available at www.nfacc.ca/pdfs/nfacc/NFACC_Final_Report_2014.pdf.
Update on Project Applications through Growing Forward II, Agrimarketing Program, Assurance Systems Stream
Two project funding applications were submitted in early September 2013. We are hopeful that notifications of approval will be received soon and the momentum of Code updates started through Agri-Flexibility will be maintained going forward.
The first project - Market Relevant Codes (Phase One) and Communication Leadership is proposed to have the following activities:
- finish 2 Codes of Practice (chicken/turkey/hatching/egg and layer) initiated under Agri-Flexibility funding,
- test pilot and adopt a new review component to the Code development process that would create objective and defensible criteria for prioritizing Code updates,
- increase network/information sharing capacity.
The second project - Market Relevant Codes - Phase Two will develop/update three codes of practice that are identified as priority Codes through the new review process initiated under Market Relevant Codes (Phase One) and Communication Leadership.
NFACC Issues Communiqué
The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) has received communications from concerned people regarding the treatment of turkeys in Canada and requesting a comprehensive Code of Practice for turkey farmers. A communiqué is available at www.nfacc.ca/news?articleid=223 clarifying NFACC’s role in Code of Practice development and the status of the poultry Code of Practice, which includes turkeys.
Guide to the Public Comment Period for Draft Codes of Practice
Stakeholder feedback is an essential part of Canada’s process for developing Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals. A well-structured and robust Public Comment Period is crucial to support the quality and success of these standard-setting documents.
The opportunity to participate in the Public Comment Period for each Code is open to all who have an interest in supporting Canada as a leader in farm animal care as part of a well-managed and competitive food system. This feedback plays a vital role in providing a check and balance to the Code development process and in determining the direction set in the final document.
A new Guide to the Public Comment Period provides an overview of this indispensable component of the Code development process. It is available at www.nfacc.ca/public-comment-period.
