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ensuring animal welfare

Ensuring Animal Welfare On Canadian Farms

By Magpie Group

There’s no question that farmers and ranchers care about the animals they raise. Livestock stewardship is a big responsibility and animals that are well cared for are healthier and more productive. As such, farmers are responsible for considering all aspects of their animals’ well-being. This includes:

  • Proper housing
  • Balanced nutrition
  • Disease prevention
  • Veterinary treatment as necessary
  • Meeting behavioural and social needs
  • Humane handling
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Animal welfare is a term that covers both the physical and mental wellbeing of an animal. Good animal welfare means an animal is growing or producing normally, is healthy, free from pain and injury and displays normal behaviour. This also includes having access to feed and water, and protection from poor weather, disease and predators.

Increasingly, food processors, retailers, restaurants and others in the food service industry are being asked by their customers to provide proof that the food they serve is raised humanely. Farmers have responded by creating programs that help them demonstrate the care and attention they provide to their animals through verification (auditing) and certification.

These programs are audited by impartial, independent auditors who have no stake in the operation. Animal welfare programs involve extensive record keeping, regular on-farm inspections and are overseen by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). They ensure farmers meet specific animal care standards – that farmers say what they do, do what they say – and can prove it!

The programs are based on each species’ Code of Practice developed by the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC). The Codes are nationally developed standards of care, based on the latest research and developed by leading experts who consult with a wide range of stakeholders, including veterinarians, farmers, food processors, Canadian consumers – and more!

In the case of pork, noncompliance with a program can result in the farmer being fined and/or losing their status as a certified producer. For supply managed industries (dairy, eggs and chicken), farmers may be fined and/or have their licence revoked so they are no longer able to raise animals in their particular sector.

Government legislation also protects the welfare of animals, including farm animals. Federal legislation consists of the Criminal Code of Canada, the Health of Animals Act and the Meat Inspection Act.

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What animal care programs are there in Canada?

  1. A program of the Canadian Pork Council called Canadian Pork Excellence (CPE) demonstrates registered pork producers’ commitment to animal welfare. A component of CPE is PigCARE, which provides farmers with a step-by-step guide for monitoring, managing and improving their animal care practices. It follows the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs and ensures pigs raised in Canada receive the best possible care.
  2. Similar programs exist in the cattle industry. Verified Beef Production Plus (VBP+) helps certified beef cattle producers prove that their operations comply with the highest standards for food safety, animal care and environmental stewardship. This program assists producers with meeting the standards outlined in Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle.
  3. Dairy Farmers of Canada have developed proAction®, a national quality assurance program to guarantee that Canadian dairy farmers responsibly produce milk. One of the pillars of proAction focuses on animal care and is based on the Code of Practice for the Care of Handling of Dairy Cattle.
  4. In the chicken industry, the Raised by a Canadian Farmer Animal Care Program created by Chicken Farmers of Canada sets out the regulations and guidelines for the care and handling of birds on-farm. It is based on standards set by the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Hatching Eggs, Breeders, Chickens and Turkeys.
  5. Eggs farmers in Canada must comply with Start Clean-Stay Clean® an Egg Farmers of Canada initiative. This program is guided by the Code of Practice for Pullets and Laying Hens.

These programs are just one-way Canadian consumers – and the world – can be assured that farmers are continually working towards more humane animal care practices. The end goal is the same: to help ensure that all animals get the care and respect they deserve.

Farmers work hard to provide for their families, care for the animals they raise and grow food safely and efficiently. The decisions they make daily influence their ability to produce nutritious and high-quality food in a sustainable, responsible way that ensures future generations can continue to farm. Canadian agriculture has created sustainability and farm stewardships initiatives to guide production and management practices in almost every sector.

Learn more about these programs here:

Magpie Group

The Magpie Group is a team of creative professionals who share a passion for communicating agricultural science-based information to industry stakeholders, as well as translating that information into language that creates common ground with non-farming audiences. Partners Jean and Kim have extensive and diverse backgrounds in marketing, communications, management and operations.

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