NFACC Information Update: August 2014
ADVANCING FARM ANIMAL CARE THROUGH MARKET RELEVANT CODES
On July 31, 2014 Parliamentary Secretary Pierre Lemieux, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced an investment of over $2 million for a project that will allow Canadian animal agriculture to continue to address the increasing public interest and concern regarding farm animal welfare. The investment was made through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriMarketing Program, a five-year, $341-million initiative under Growing Forward 2.
The AAFC press release is available at: www.news.gc.ca/web/article-en.do?nid=872159
The joint NFACC/CAHC press release is available at: www.nfacc.ca/news?articleid=227
UPDATE ON NEW PROJECT: MARKET RELEVANT CODES AND COMMUNICATION LEADERSHIP
A contribution agreement has been signed between AAFC and the CAHC. The project, Market Relevant Codes and Communication Leadership, is officially underway and includes four approved activities:
- Finish two Codes of Practice (chicken/turkey/hatching/egg and layer) that were initiated under Agri-Flexibility funding (AFI0015). Drafts of both Codes should be ready for public comment in 2015 and are scheduled to be completed in 2016.
- Print and circulate copies of the pig Code. The pig Code was finalized and made electronically available in March 2014. However, hard copies of the Code were not made available due to the close of the AFI0015 project. This current project will tie up that final loose end by printing and circulating hard copies of the pig Code to stakeholder groups.
- Initiate and finish the development/update of three additional Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals. To date the veal, bison and rabbit industries have each stepped forward indicating a desire to update their Codes. An update to the transport Code has been raised, but there are considerations needed before embarking on this significant undertaking. NFACC will determine the three Codes to be updated under this project at its next meeting in the Fall.
- Communication Leadership with the aim of increasing the network/information sharing capacity that will promote Canada’s national animal welfare Code development system and the Codes developed through it.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS - 2015 CFHS NATIONAL ANIMAL WELFARE CONFERENCE
The call for abstracts for the 2015 CFHS National Animal Welfare Conference is now open. The conference will be held in the spring of 2015 in British Columbia (exact dates and location to be announced shortly). Presentations and abstracts from the 2014 conference can be viewed at: http://cfhs.ca/info/abstracts.
For more information: http://cfhs.ca/info/national_animal_welfare_conference_1/
