Recommended Codes of Practice

Humane Handling Guidelines

On-Farm Assessment

Term Care Agreement

Click here for information on pdf files

Handling & Care

"As livestock producers, we have the moral and legal responsibility to care and provide for our livestock in a humane manner," - Aart Okkema, past Chaiman of AFAC

General

• Proper handling lowers stress level - Western Producer (Jun 06)
• Reducing livestock pain vital to industry - Western Producer (Jun 06)
• American Meat Institute Fact Sheet: The Ethical & Economic Reasons to Treat Animals Humanely
• Term Care Agreement - a standardized contract form for third party care of livestock
• Good Livestock Handling Pays - AFAC training
• Livestock Handling DVDs by Dr. Temple Grandin
• Body Condition Scoring for Livestock, What's the Score? CD ROM
• Livestock Laws & Regulations
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• On-farm Verification & Audits
• Recommended Basic Livestock Handling - T. Grandin
• It is meet and right so to do. Considerations in the humane treatment of low value livestock. Terry Whiting
• AFAC reports and training courses
• Canadian Veterinary Medical Association - Animal Welfare Position Statements

“Animal welfare practices are only as good as the people using them. It’s stockmanship and husbandry that determine the level of animal welfare NO MATTER WHAT SYSTEM is used. I don't want legislation to decide which system is best.” - Simon Goodwin, Calmar, AB

Horses

• Humane Handling Guidelines for HORSES, Standard for the care of unfit animals
  
• Recommended codes of practice for the care & handling of Horses
• Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada - HorseWelfare.ca
• Horse Welfare in Alberta Report
• Handle with Care cards - key points on understanding animal behavior to prevent injury (Jun 05) >>
• Horse Care Brochure - AFAC, Alberta SPCA & Alberta Agriculture (05)
• Trailer Driving Tips (The Horse.com)
• Alberta livestock industry champions proper horse care (Jan 05)
• Horse Welfare in Alberta Report (04)
• Alberta Agriculture Horse Care Information
• It is meet and right so to do. Considerations in the humane treatment of low value livestock. Terry Whiting

Beef

• Recommended codes of practice for the care & handling of Beef Cattle
• Humane Handling Guidelines - Beef Cattle
• Extra feed key to winter grazing - Western Producer (Oct 09)
• Consider early weaning, R. Bergen, Grassroutes (Aug 09)
• Cattle handling videos clips
• Cold Weather Adjustments for Cows - FAQs Alberta Agriculture
• Marketing cull cows, factors to consider when deciding whether or not to ship cull cows, R. Bergen, Alberta Beef (Sept 08)
• AVMA policy - Castration & Dehorning of Cattle
• Remote Pasture Water Systems for Livestock, Alberta Agriculture
• Using Swath Grazing, Foragebeef.ca
• Proper handling lowers stress level - Western Producer (Jun 06)
• Reducing Weaning Stress of Beef Cattle - FAQs, Alberta Agriculture
• Handle with Care cards - key points on understanding animal behavior to prevent injury (Jun 05) >>
• Term Care Agreement - a standardized contract form for third party care of livestock
• Understanding Flight Zone & Point of Balance - Dr. Grandin
• Livestock Handling DVDs - Dr. Temple Grandin
• Cattle Welfare Critical Control Points on feedlots, ranches and stock operations - Dr. Grandin

Dairy

• Recommended Codes of Practice for the Care & Handling of Dairy Cattle
• Humane Handling of Cull Dairy Cattle Guidelines
• Marketing cull cows, factors to consider when deciding whether or not to ship cull cows, R. Bergen, Alberta Beef (Sept 08)
• Identifying Lameness in Dairy Cattle CD-ROM
• Dairyman’s Digest (Spring 08)
  • Causes of Dairy Cattle Lameness
  • Regrouping Disrupts Cow Behaviour & Lowers Production
• Lameness common in dairy barns, Western Producer (Apr 06)
• Compromised Cattle Alert, Dr. R. Fenton, Milking Times
• Reduce Stress on Cattle, Western Dairy Digest
• The Science of cow comfort by D. Weary & C. Tucker
• Dairy Cattle Welfare Critical Control Points - Dr. T Grandin

Pigs

• Humane Handling of Swine Guidelines
• Recommended codes of practice for the care & handling of farm animals
  • Pigs
  • Early Weaned Pigs
• Pig Trucking & Handling - Stress and Fatigued Pig - M. Benjamin (05)
• Educational Online Resources for the Pig Industry - Nancy Lidster, DNL Farms Ltd.

“Most producers are already reaching high standards of animal care but these can not be seen as optional.” - Karl Chomlak, AB Pork

Poultry & Eggs

• Recommended codes of practice for the care & handling of farm animals
  • Poultry - Layers
  • Chickens, Turkeys & Breeders from Hatchery to Processing Plant
  • Factsheets Poultry Layers
• Alberta Agriculture - Alberta Egg Industry
• Canadian Egg Marketing Agency - what a real egg farm looks like (WMV 46MB)

Sheep

• Recommended Codes of Practice for the Care & Handling of Sheep
• Sheep and Goat Management in Alberta - reproduction, nutrition, and health of sheep and goats (Alberta Lamb Producers and Alberta Goat Breeders Association)
• Guide to the Humane Care, Handling and Transportation of Sheep

Livestock Transportation

• Certified Livestock Transporter (CLT) training program
• AFAC livestock transportation page
• Preventing Accidents When Transporting Livestock
• What to do in a Motor Vehicle Accident Involving Livestock

Biosecurity

Biosecurity means a set of measures designed to protect a herd from the entry of infectious agents.

• National Avian On-Farm Biosecurity Standard
• CFIA lays out national poultry biosecurity standard

Pain Management

• Cost-Benefit Analysis of Pain Relief for Farm Animals, Mello, Fisher, Staffor (May 07)
• Taking Animal Pain Seriously, Mellor (Sept 05)
• Pain Management in Farmed Animals, Attitudes are Changing (Nov 04)

Euthanasia

• Animal welfare aspects of dealing with Euthanasia - Dr. Claude Mason (May 06)
• Procedures for Humane Euthanasia - University of Florida
• Humane Euthanasia of Farm Animals, R. Lewis DVM (Feb 05)