The last update occurred in 2016
Members of the Canadian poultry sector want the industry’s code of practice updated.
Turkey Farmers of Canada, Chicken Farmers of Canada, the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, and the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors have together started the process to modernize the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Hatching Eggs, Breeders, Chickens and Turkeys, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) said in an Oct. 4 statement.
The Code’s last update came out in 2016.
Those reforms included:
- A shift in lighting regimens, which now require farmers to provide their birds with a minimum of four hours of dark time per day to rest (up from 0-1 hours per day).
- New requirements for immediate vet care for sick and injured birds.
- New requirements for humane euthanasia.
Using scientific information collected between the last update and today will help farmers and industry provide better care for their flocks.
“Canadian poultry producers are dedicated to providing exceptional care for their birds,” the member organizations said in a joint statement. “By using the latest scientific reviews to update the Code for hatching eggs, breeders, chickens, and turkeys, the poultry sectors look forward to working with our partners at NFACC in updating this Code.”
The federal government is supporting the update process through the AgriAssurance Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.
Canadians can give their input on the new code of practice online.
The NFACC has an online survey available until Oct. 25.
The short questionnaire asks people to identify the province or territory they’re from, their perspective for feedback, and to list three top-of-mind animal welfare topics.
“The input received will help the Code Committee understand the kinds of issues people wish to see considered in the Code's update,” the NFACC says.
The survey and formation of the Code Committee are part of the first step of the overall update.
In total there are seven steps before a new code of practice is finalized.
Five Codes of Practice – beef cattle, equine, pig, sheep and poultry – are undergoing the updating process.
The NFACC has projected completion dates between December 2026 and August 2027 for those sectors.