Public comment period nearing close on proposed updates to national beef cattle care standards.The Beef Code outlines expected and recommended animal care practices for beef cattle.
The public comment period is an opportunity for anyone who has an interest in how beef cattle are raised in Canada, including consumers, veterinarians, food service professionals, and producers, to review the draft content and share feedback.
Feedback gathered through the public comment period is critical and helps determine the content of the final document. Strong producer feedback from all regions of Canada is an important step in this process.
The Beef Code is meant to drive continuous improvement in animal welfare and is built to be scientifically informed, practical, and reflect societal expectations for responsible farm animal care. The Code uses an outcome-based approach that focuses on achieving successful standards while allowing for flexibility in how these outcomes are met rather than dictating exact processes or methods.
The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) (nfacc.ca) oversees Code of Practice development and review through a structured, multi-stakeholder process that includes producers, veterinarians, scientists, transporters, processors, retailers, government, and animal welfare representatives. The CCA is a member of NFACC and serves as the national commodity organization responsible for initiating the Code review process for its sector. Decisions are science-informed and consensus-based.
The review process involves two committees: the Code Development Committee and the Scientific Committee. The Code Development Committee updates the Code as required and the Scientific Committee reviews literature to determine priority welfare issues and summarizes the available research for the Code Development Committee. Science-informed, industry leadership on code development, reviews, and revisions ensures the Code reflects an animal care standard that is grounded in practicality while considering the diversity of Canadian beef cattle producers.
Click here to see more...