current options in farm animal welfare audits - jim reynolds
DESCRIPTION
Dr Jim Reynolds presented this information on February 8th 2012 for DAIReXNET. He discussed the various options available for animal welfare certification on dairy farms, as well as what certification is and how to decide if it's right for you or your clients.TRANSCRIPT
Current Options in Farm Animal Welfare Audits and
EvaluationsJim Reynolds DVM, MPVM
• Current options in Animal Welfare Certification
• The value of certification• How to determine if you should
become part of one of these programs
First: what is animal welfare and how do we assess it?
• Welfare is something the animal has;• Not something we do to it.• We can affect the welfare of animals
by our housing and management of them.
What is animal welfare?Animal welfare means how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a good state of welfare if (as indicated by scientific evidence) it is healthy, comfortable, well nourished, safe, able to express innate behavior, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress. Good animal welfare requires disease prevention and veterinary treatment, appropriate shelter, management, nutrition, humane handling and humane slaughter. Animal welfare refers to the state of the animal; the treatment that an animal receives is covered by other terms such as animal care, animal husbandry, and humane treatment.1 Protecting an animal's welfare means providing for its physical and mental needs.
http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/default.asp 1-24-2012
Why do we have Farm Welfare Audits / Certifications?
There are 2 main reasons for current welfare audits or assessments:
1) Response to criticism of husbandry.– Industry / Retailers set up programs to
assure consumers that animals have good welfare.
2) Management desires to have the best welfare possible for the animals.
– The farm intends to provide good welfare and has third-party audits in ensure the programs are working.
Goals for Welfare Assessments and Audits
• To determine if the welfare for animals on a farm is appropriate for that species– Verification using a written audit tool– Uses standards developed for that species and
production system
• Can be used to:– Assure consumers animals are cared for
properly– Internal verification for dairy management– Find areas for veterinary consultation
6
Welfare Audit Principles
• Welfare is a combination of facilities and people
• Welfare audits should not dictate the management of a farm
• Audits should verify that animals are cared for properly, to contemporary standards
• The farm management will meet each standard in its own way
7
8
Welfare Assessments and Audits
• Approach to assure consumers animal care meets standards
• Non-governmental• Market - driven• Provides an assessment
or an audit to the farm regarding animal care and welfare
• Assessment provides report to owner detailing strengths and weaknesses on farm
• Audit covers all areas of cow comfort and welfare
8
Techniques for assessing welfare
2 basic methods:1) outcome based
- Use animals to see if standards are met
2) protocols- Create a system or facility that should
result in the desired outcome
These are used in combination in the various programs
9
10
Areas on the Farm Audited or Assessed
• General Animal Management
• Feed & Water Access and Quality
• Herd Health• Facilities• Housing• Parlor Behavior• Special Needs
management
• Handling & Transportation
• Replacement Cattle• Management • All animals on the
farm will be observed
• Must have Down Cow and Euthanasia Protocols
10
11
Areas for welfare protocols:
• Maternity pen• Colostrum feeding• Holding area• Transportation• Calf processing• Feeding
– Water and grain
• Sanitation
• Recognizing illness• Treatment• Euthanasia• Emergency plans• Handling• Dehorning• Castration
Veterinarians and Extension can help develop protocols, train and manage workers.
11
12
Animal Production Industry Standards
1) Must be clear that the welfare and interests of the animals have appropriate weight relative to the human use of the animals
2) Consumers must have confidence that the standards are taken seriously and that livestock producers will follow the recommended practices
3) Producers must believe the standards are established and administered fairly
Thompson, P. B. 2005. Animal agriculture and the welfare of animals. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc. 226:1325–1327.
Standards must be real and they must be enforced
12
Major Dairy Programs Available in the US:
• American Humane Association– American Humane Certified
• National Milk Producers– Farmers Assuring Responsible Management
(FARM)
• New York State Cattle Health Assurance Program (NYSCHAP)– Cattle Welfare Certification Program
• Validus– Animal Welfare Review – Dairy (AWR-D)
http://www.americanhumane.org/animals/programs/farm-animal-welfare.html
American Humane Certified Program
• An audit program • Detailed questionnaire, checklist and
animal observations developed by the AHA Scientific Committee
• Annual re-certification• Required by some processors• Dairy, swine and poultry programs• Utilizes PAACO certified auditors
National Dairy FARM Program Farmers Assuring Responsible
ManagementSM
• Mission: “To demonstrate and verify that U.S. milk producers are committed to providing the highest standards of animal care and quality assurance.”
• “A nation-wide, verifiable program that addresses animal well-being. Third-party verification ensures the validity and the integrity of the program to our customers and consumers.”
16
http://nationaldairyfarm.com/index.html
National Dairy FARM Program
Farmers Assuring Responsible Management• Industry established standards developed by NMP via
adhoc committee of dairy owners, veterinarians, consultants
• Questionnaire, checklist and animal observations– All on the FARM website
• Evaluators certified through NMP FARM program training; can be veterinarians, producer (COOP) personnel, extension, consultants
• Second party evaluations at least every 3 years• Third party evaluations based on random sample of
dairies– Third-party evaluations are of the program, not the dairy
(process verification)
Conduct internal assessment to
measure program effectiveness
Apply Principles & Guidelines to on-farm well-being programs
Third-party program verification
Facilitate producer awareness and
implement education programs
Implement on-farm well-being
programs
Well-Being Principles & Guidelines
National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative Continuous Improvement Cycle
How does the 2nd party evaluation start?
• Sit-down interview and review of pertinent records.
• First 45 questions in the FARM checklist.
20
What about the evaluation checklist ?
• Different types of evidence can be used: (e.g. written documents, employee interviews, visual)
• Are answered “Yes”, “No” or “Not applicable” to the farm.• Scoring will be required for lameness, body condition,
hock lesions and cleanliness.
21
How does the 2nd party evaluation proceed? • On-site facility observations, last 32 checklist questions.
• Scoring lameness, body condition, leg lesions and hygiene.
22
http://nyschap.vet.cornell.edu/
http://nyschap.vet.cornell.edu/module/welfare/welfare.asp
NYSCHAP
• An evaluation program• Annual review required• Herd veterinarian must be present
during review• Standards developed by Scientific
Committee• PAACO, ISO, USDA process verified
http://www.validusservices.com/verifying-certifying/on-farm-animal-welfare-audits/
Validus
• Program designed to first provide an assessment, then audit
• Annual recertification required• Standards developed by Scientific
Committee• Validus trains auditors• Audits animals in risk groups (sampling
size developed for every group)• PAACO, ISO, USDA process verified
Comparison of Animal Observations Between Programs
Program Observations
AHARandom sample/select 20 cows for every 100 lactating and dry
cows on-site
Validus
Observations focus on risk groupsReports individual problem pensHighest number of animal observationsParlor turns must be evaluated
FARMObservations in every penReports herd averages
NYSCHAP
Evaluates SOPs & training records prior to certification visitClose involvement with herd vet; must be present at certificationEach animal management group scored (milking/dry cows & young stock)
Dr. Sandy Goff; AABP Animal Welfare Pre-seminar 2011
Comparison of Critical Control Points of Animal Observations Between Programs
CCP AHA Validus FARM NYSCHAP
Lameness 95% score 1 or 2 <5% score > 3 90% score < 2<15% score >3
<1% score 5(or 1 animal)
BCS 98% score >2 & <4.5 <3% score <2<10% score > 4
90% score >2 & <4.5<5% score <2 90% score >1
Leg lesions 80% score 0 or 1 <2% score 3 90% score 199% score <2 Recorded, no CCP
Hygiene 90% score 1 or 2 <10% score >2 90% score <3 Minimize score >3*
Dr. Sandy Goff; AABP Animal Welfare Pre-seminar 2011
http://www.animalauditor.org/
PAACO certifies Welfare Audits and Auditor Training. PAACO also trains Auditors for Meat Plant Welfare Auditing.
The Value of Welfare Audit or Assessment Programs
• Education and Understanding– Understanding the real needs of cattle is a process
and each program does a great job of education during the assessments or evaluations
• Determine the strengths and weakness regarding welfare on your farm– Cows get lame, have LDA’s, and have reproductive
problems for reasons that are determined by housing and management
• Marketing milk products– Compliance with welfare standards will continue the
trust we have with consumers of dairy products.
Should you participate in one of these programs?
If you are a producer: Yes, because:• You will get an evaluation of your dairy• You will find the strong and weak areas
of animal welfare in your operation• You can prioritize the improvement of
welfare over time• Incorporate current practices• Modify housing as needed over time.
Should you participate in one of these programs?
If you provide services to dairies: Yes• You will be able to identify strong and
weak areas of welfare and help prioritize improvements;
• Understanding cattle welfare and integrating welfare needs of animals into management is the least expensive way to improve economic viability.
QUESTIONS?