Farmscape for December 18, 2012

The National Farm Animal Care Council says renewed codes of practice for farm animals will allow industry, the public and others to communicate based on an updated understanding of how farm animals are cared for in Canada.
The National Farm Animal Care Council, a partnership of diverse stakeholders working to promote farm animal care and welfare, is overseeing the development of updated codes of practice for the care and handling of farm animals.
Eight codes of practice are being updated including codes for pigs, beef cattle, sheep, equine, farmed mink, farmed fox, poultry related to the meat bird side including broilers, turkey and hatching eggs as well a code for laying hens.
NFACC general manager Jackie Wepruck says many of the existing codes have become quite dated.

Clip-Jackie Wepruk-National Farm Animal Care Council:
The codes are nationally developed guidelines for the care and handling of farm animals.
They have multiple users and audiences that include farmers and they serve as our national understanding of animal care requirements and recommended practices.
They cover housing, management, food and water, health, transportation and euthanasia.
Codes are intended to promote sound management and welfare practices that are scientifically informed, practical and also reflect societal expectations for responsible farm animal care.
Many of the codes are quite dated.
The pig code for example was last updated in 1993 with an early weaned pigs addendum added in 2003.
Since then science has certainly advanced, public interest in agriculture has changed and of course practices have evolved so a renewed code allows industry, the public and others to communicate based on an updated understanding of how farmed animals are cared for in Canada.

Wepruk says NFACC's goal and the goal of its members is real progress on farm animal welfare while maintaining the viability of Canadian animal agriculture.
For Farmscape.Ca, I'm Bruce Cochrane.

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