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Codes of Practice for BC Farm Animals
In BC, livestock producers follow the National Farm Animal Care Council of Canada Codes of Practice for the care and handling of farm animals. These Codes of Practice cover the animal’s environment, feed and water, animal health, husbandry, transportation and euthanasia practices.
The Codes include Requirements which are either a regulatory requirement, or an industry-imposed expectation outlining acceptable and unacceptable practices relating to the care of animals. Requirements, at minimum, are to be implemented by all persons responsible for farm animal care. There are also Recommended Practices that complement the Code’s Requirements. Recommendations promote producer education and encourage the adoption of practices for continuous improvement in animal welfare.
BC ranchers and farmers meet and exceed these practices.
Animal Welfare in BC
Our BC farmers and processors care about animal welfare and most exceed the Codes of Practice. You can help support and understand the animal welfare practices of BC farmers by following them on social media, on our BCMeats website and Facebook page.
Understand what practices qualify for animal welfare certification and support our hard-working BC farmers who have a passion for improving the lives of the animals they raise.
Toys for Livestock?
Did you know that there are toys specifically designed for livestock to improve their living conditions and to encourage the demonstration of natural behaviours? There are even companies that focus on these environmental enrichment toys!
Pigs are naturally curious and social animals and are highly motivated to explore their. Benefits of pig toys include:
– Reduces stress
– Reduces boredom
– Reduces the frequency of aggressive behaviour
– Increases the pig’s ability to deal with challenges more naturally
– Broadens their range of behaviours
– Improves production performance
Adding a mirror for isolated cows and other species has shown to improve their overall health. Even a photo of another same-species animal can help!
Animal Welfare at Processing
Meat processing plants in BC must meet provincial and federal animal handling regulations which are amongst the highest in the world. These regulations ensure that animals are humanely handled and processed.
The regulations include:
 – The use of tools to handle animals
 – An animal health assessment at arriva
 – Pen densities and safety
 – Ventilation
 – Access to water upon arrival
 – Feeding requirements
Those establishments with a government meat inspector on site during processing have their animal welfare practices monitored by the inspector. Many BC processors are also third-party certified for animal welfare.
Animal Welfare Certification Labels
There are many different animal welfare labels, such as ‘Animal Welfare Approved’, ‘Animal Welfare Certified’ and ‘Certified Humane’.  It’s hard to know which ones truly have a positive impact on the welfare of farm animals. Here’s how you can keep farm animal welfare at the top of your priority list:
Check for certified animal welfare labels that:
 – Certifies farms that raise farm animals to higher standards of animal welfare than the minimum National Farm Animal Care Council of Canada Codes of Practice
 – Verifies their standards are being met through inspections of farms, carried out by independent third-party auditors
 – Provides transparency to consumers as their standards are posted online for public viewing
Although some BC farmers and ranchers may not be certified humane by a third party, they still can follow excellent animal practices. Ensuring proper animal welfare practices not only benefits farm animals in BC, but also benefits BC consumers as they can buy with confidence.
Terms Used When Raising Animals
Although these terms are not certified or regulated, they do demonstrate higher animal welfare considerations. Check for them when you are Buy BC.
Cage-free:Â Animals are not housed in cages.
Cage-free labels are usually seen on egg cartons and applies to egg-laying hens, not meat birds. This label can also apply to pork and could include labels such as ‘crate-free’ or ‘stall-free’.
 Free-run: Animals are raised cage-free and indoors.
For poultry, this label only has meaning for egg-laying hens, not turkeys or chickens raised for meat. It is standard practice for all Canadian turkeys and broiler chickens to be raised free-run. You may also see this label on pork since it is standard practice in BC for young pigs to be raised in groups.
Free-range:Â Animals are raised cage-free with outdoor access.
The amount of time spent outside and the quality of the access can vary widely.
Pasture-raised or Pastured:Â Animals are raised outdoors on pasture.
This label does not necessarily mean that the animals spent their whole lives on pasture.
Grass-fed, or grass-fed and finished:Â Animals have access to pasture and a diet made up of forages (grass and hay).
It is important to note that the grass-fed label does not mean the animal was fed grasses for the entirety of its life.
Grass-fed Meat
Grass-fed can include any animal that was fed grass at some point during its life. Look for labels that are more re-assuring such as ‘100% grass-fed’, ‘grass-only’ and ‘grass-fed and finished’. None of the grass-fed labels are regulated in BC or Canada and there is no definition on how these claims can be used on meat. Get to know and understand the feeding practices of your BC producer to ensure you are getting the grass-fed meat you want.
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