FARM ANIMAL WELFARE AND
CODES OF PRACTICE
CONSULTATION WORKSHOP

REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS

SEPTEMBER 23 – 24, 2002
GATINEAU, QUÉBEC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background and Purpose

In June 2002, the "Federal-Provincial-Territorial Framework Agreement on Agricultural and Agri-Food Policy for the 21st Century" was signed. In the national dialogue which was part of the process of developing the framework, a number of participants advocated the specific inclusion of farm animal welfare within the new policy architecture. In addition, evolving market demands and new developments in science and technology continue to prompt questions about the effectiveness of current methods of addressing farm animal welfare in Canada.

In this connection, the Farm Animal Welfare Consultation Workshop was designed to bring together a diverse group of representatives from all sectors, including producers, processors, consumer groups, animal welfare organizations, academics, government representatives and others. Organized by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the workshop provided the opportunity for participants to share information and perspectives; explore current and emerging issues; and to consider how best to develop, disseminate and implement Canadian farm animal welfare standards (e.g., Codes of Practice).

Specifically, the objectives of the workshop were to:

• determine the needs and alternatives for promoting high quality farm animal care and handling standards;
• establish who will be responsible for achieving the identified needs; and
• determine how the stakeholders will work together to that end.

Consultation Format

The Consultation was designed to maximize opportunities for interaction and dialogue amongst the broad range of perspectives represented by the participants. Presentations, table discussions, and plenary open forum sessions were focused around four topics:

Topic 1: Consumer and Public Concerns

Are there consumer and public concerns about farm animal welfare, and are these being captured and communicated throughout the supply system?

Topic 2: Farm Animal Welfare in a Production Environment

Do Canadian producers have the technology and technical information they need to respond to consumer and public demands?

Topic 3: Canada's Animal Welfare Standards

Do we have an adequate system of standards, regulations and enforcement to ensure the public that their concerns are being addressed?

Topic 4: Next Steps

What needs to happen to deal with the issues?

Setting the Context

The Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee, Dr. Bill Ballantyne and Dr. David Fraser, provided participants with an overview of some of the key issues and current context related to farm animal welfare in Canada and in other countries.

Dr. Bill Ballantyne
Director of Technical Service, Maple Leaf Pork

Dr. Ballantyne observed that farm animal welfare is an issue that can be described in analytical terms, but it is also an emotionally charged issue. He told participants he believes that in Canada we can continue to cost-efficiently use animals for food and that we can do so with appropriate and humane animal handling practices.

He noted that most consumers in Canada believe that good farm animal handling practices already take place. This belief is also generally held by those individuals whose livelihood depends on animal agriculture. However, Canada is a major animal and meat trading nation, particularly in pigs and pork and cattle and beef, and must be prepared to meet the demands of a wide and varied market, both domestic and export. So it is timely and important that Canadian "stakeholders" assess the current issues and situation in the context of a rapidly changing world.

He posed a number of questions for consideration. Are the current farm animal welfare practices okay? Are our laws, regulations and codes appropriate? Can they deal with the demands of both the domestic and international marketplaces? Are we well-represented at the table as rules are developed for animal welfare? Should Canada develop a policy framework for its producers and processors, possibly similar to the one recently developed by the European Union?

Dr. Ballantyne noted that the workshop would provide the opportunity for people with widely ranging perspectives to interact and discuss the issues surrounding farm animal welfare. He emphasized that it is not a meeting to discuss appropriate animal handling practices, but to focus on the broader issues, such as legislation, Canadian practice compared to others, world market realties, audit and control systems, timing and so on.

Dr. David Fraser
Professor, Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Agriculture Sciences and W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, University of British Columbia

Dr. Fraser observed that the current federal role in farm animal welfare consists primarily of slaughter inspection, transport and border inspection, and research. He provided an overview of some of the farm animal welfare issues that have emerged over the years. In the 1950s, the most prominent issue was humane slaughter; in the 1960s, it was humane trucking. From there, the focus turned to on-farm production methods. Legislation was introduced in Canada to address slaughter and transport issues, but it proved to be more difficult to resolve concerns related to on-farm production. Recently, though, rapid changes have occurred. As examples, he cited the European Commission ban on dry sow stalls, a proposal to include animal welfare standards in world trade agreements, and welfare assurance programs that use specialty labeling and certification.

He noted that in the United States the retail sector has been a driving force behind the introduction of standards for animal welfare practices. For example, McDonald's Restaurants (U.S.), Burger King, Wendy's and some grocery chains each developed separate, although similar programs. These programs led to calls for a single set of harmonized standards, currently being developed by the National Council of Chain Restaurants (the U.S. industry association representing Burger King, McDonald's and about 30 other chains) and the Food Marketing Institute (the U.S. based association of grocery distributors representing 2,300 grocery companies). Recently, the United Egg Producers (the U.S. association of egg producers) announced a certification program whereby egg producers can become certified as conforming to the industry's new animal welfare standards.

There is also a rapid move toward the international harmonization of standards, driven by international organizations, transnational companies, and pressure from world trade.

Dr. Fraser noted two trends that are reflected in these activities. The first is the replacement of certain controversial housing and management practices that involve (1) severe restriction of movement, (2) abnormalities such as injuries and disturbed behaviour, and (3) negative states such as pain and hunger. The second trend is the development of clear, simple standards that can be measured and audited. The emerging approach is not based on comprehensive codes of recommendations; rather, it uses selected critical control points that allow a producer, processor or trucker to demonstrate that they are adhering to established practices using a few simple measures.

He highlighted four key resources that the animal industries need to adapt to the rapid change in expectations regarding animal welfare. For each resource, there are a number of questions that need to be considered.

1. Research, development, testing and extension

• Does Canada have the research and development capability that we require to identify and solve animal welfare problems?
• Do we have adequate facilities for testing alternative practices under Canadian farm conditions?
• Does our extension service have the strength and expertise on animal welfare issues to provide the industry with the guidance and support that it needs?

2. The economic climate

• Is there, in Canada, enough communication between producers and retailers so that producers will be properly compensated if they are required to use more costly standards?
• Does Canada have the environment to allow specialty labeling programs (e.g., free-range eggs) to respond to market needs, and is the federal government helping or hindering in the development of these programs?

3. The regulatory system

• What do we want our regulatory system to do?
• Is it delivering on these expectations?

4. Infrastructure and leadership

• What leadership do we need from government, retailers, producers and others, in order to achieve progress on farm animal welfare issues?
• What infrastructure would allow this leadership to develop?

In closing, Dr. Fraser noted that this is a period of rapid change for the agriculture and agri-food sectors. This workshop provides the opportunity for stakeholders to discuss moving forward on issues relating to farm animal welfare – what are the needs currently in Canada, how should Canada position itself, and how can we achieve that?

Participants' Expectations

Participants were invited to discuss their expectations for the workshop.

• Assure the animal's quality of life without jeopardizing quality of life for producers.
• Sense of urgency to have a national set of guidelines, developed by stakeholders, to meet international expectations.
• Have industry, government, stakeholders reach consensus on roles.
• Create an infrastructure that provides leadership for stakeholders.
• Enable more effective lines of communication between stakeholders.
• Fruitful discussion on codes of practice.
• Discover where codes are heading, who will guide them, etc.
• National standard that is auditable, audited.
• Clear understanding of consumer needs; create consumer awareness of standards.
• Organized development of codes on a national level to avoid duplication.
• Understand each other's issues/views re resources, facilities, long-term solutions, etc., and areas where we can work together.
• Expedient and practical solutions.
• Commodity groups combine to set long-term direction.
• Include Quebec in this effort and solution.

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