How can we help?

SPCA works to prevent cruelty to all animals in New Zealand – this includes the millions of animals farmed for food each year. SPCA Certified is dedicated to improving the lives of farmed animals in food production. By working with those involved in farming, we are helping to raise standards of care beyond legal requirements, as well as promoting more positive welfare outcomes for all farmed animals.

Buying SPCA Certified food products helps drive consumer demand for products from more humane farming systems and practices. SPCA Certified encourages people who choose to consume eggs, meat, and dairy products to select those products from high animal welfare programmes.

By choosing products with the SPCA Certified blue badge, consumers have assurance that the animals have been cared for to a higher standard than that currently required as minimum by law. This in turn encourages farmers to continuously improve the animal welfare practices on their farms. The SPCA Certified blue badge makes it easier to find food products from animals farmed where there are high animal welfare standards.

SPCA Certified currently has the following species-specific standards in place: free range and barn layer hens, free range and barn raised meat chickens, free farmed and free range pigs, beef cattle, dairy cattle, dairy sheep, sheep farmed for meat and Chinook (King) salmon.

SPCA Certified’s sole purpose is to improve animal welfare for New Zealand’s animals. Therefore, SPCA Certified will continue to expand the range of species covered under the programme and would like to work with other industries to develop higher animal welfare standards for other species.

SPCA Certified standards are derived from the Five Domains of animal welfare, based around not only the reduction of negative experiences, but importantly, the provision of positive mental experiences, good nutrition, good environment, good health and appropriate behaviour.

The newly developed SPCA Certified standards are a step up from the previous SPCA Blue Tick standards, reflecting changes in legislation, best practice, and incorporating the latest advancements in animal welfare science.

The aim of SPCA Certified is to drive continuous improvement of animal welfare for New Zealand’s farmed animals. We believe continual improvements are key to sustainable, meaningful, and positive animal welfare outcomes, and through SPCA Certified we will continue to work with industry and business owners to drive these welfare improvements. We are working to raise the bar for animal welfare in a way that is tangible now and sustainable long term.

For a farm to become SPCA Certified, the farm must first be assessed by SPCA Certified staff. The initial assessment highlights any areas that may need improvement, and allows the team to better understand the farming system and how the farm operates, prior to being audited. This is an extensive process requiring the farmer to submit detailed information around farming practices and traceability of the animals or food product (e.g. eggs). Additionally, someone from the SPCA Certified team also visits the farm as part of the assessment.

Before joining, a pre-certification audit is done to ensure that the requirements of the standards are met. This is done via an independent third party audit. The standards must be met and maintained, for the farm to be, and stay, certified.

Sometimes things go wrong. If there are situations where farms are not compliant with any of the standards, depending on the level of non-compliance, farmers are given a time frame in which to rectify any issues.

Levels of non-compliance range from a minor non-compliance through to a major or critical non-compliance. A minor non-compliance may be a mistake in paperwork, or information hasn’t been recorded as being done (but was completed). A major non-compliance may be related to the cleanliness of the litter in a shed, whilst a critical non-compliance is considered to severely affect an animal’s well-being and must be rectified immediately.

However, in general, conformance to the SPCA Certified standards is high.

SPCA Certified believes in the importance of engaging across the whole supply chain, supporting farmers, transport operators, processors, abattoirs, distributors, food retailers, supermarkets, and brands to ensure high animal welfare. We welcome and encourage everyone who is interested to get in touch with us to discuss collaborative opportunities, as we endeavour to support and progress continual improvement of farmed animal welfare in New Zealand.

If you are interested in being involved with SPCA Certified and are a retailer, restaurant or café, or would like to find out more about the programme, please contact certified@spca.nz.

Joining SPCA Certified shows everyone you are working to ensure a better life for the animals in your care, or those in your supply chain.

The goals of the programme are to:

• continuously improve the welfare of farmed animals in New Zealand;
• provide a means in which to show improvements in the welfare of the animals in a farmer’s care; and
• provide a way of leading consumer-driven change to producing food sourced from animals that are farmed with higher welfare practices than that required as minimum standard by law.

Along the way this can help you meet the growing customer demand for higher animal welfare products, giving you a competitive advantage with a point of difference.

SPCA Certified ensures credibility through independent third-party auditors trained to SPCA Certified standards who ensure SPCA animal welfare standards are upheld.

Provision of good animal welfare is about more than just outdoor access or being free range. It’s about ensuring the many different aspects of the farming system and the animals’ requirements are kept upper-most in mind to provide for their behavioural, physical and mental needs; providing opportunities for positive experiences, which leads to improved farmed animal welfare.

SPCA Certified standards cover farming systems that house animals in enriched indoor environments, those that provide the opportunity to access an outdoor area, those where animals are raised in naturally ventilated barns on deep litter bedding, as well as extensive systems, where animals are kept outside all the time. In all of these systems, SPCA Certified standards require that the animals’ needs are met and that the system promotes the opportunity for positive experiences. For example, this means providing platforms for perching for meat chickens and layer hens inside the sheds and providing appropriate bedding material for animals to rest warmly and comfortably, amongst other requirements.

For the farmed animal species covered by SPCA Certified standards, there are hundreds of standards covering not just the environment that the animals live in, but how they are treated by stock people, the animal’s behavioural and health requirements, planning for emergencies on farm, ensuring what the animals eat and drink is appropriate and easily accessible, just to name a few.

Most importantly, terms such as 'free range’ or ‘free to roam’ do not always provide assurance of good animal welfare, so always look for independent third-party certification.

SPCA Certified supports farming systems that provide hens with opportunities in which they can display a full repertoire of behaviours, fulfilling their behavioural and physical wants and needs, which includes both free range and barn raised farming systems, but not colony cages.

Colony cage eggs come from hens that live their entire lives in a colony cage. Colony cages provide slightly more area than the conventional cages (now banned), they have an area where hens can lay their eggs, some limited perch space, and a small scratch area.

As of 1 January 2023, there are now three types of laying hen production systems in which eggs are produced in New Zealand, free range, barn, and colony cages. Currently, around 33% of hens in New Zealand spend their entire lives within a colony cage.

Cage free is a broad marketing term, which includes barn eggs, as well as free range eggs. In a barn production system, egg laying hens can roam freely throughout the barn (shed), there are areas in which the hens can perch and roost, as well as space in which they are able to stretch their wings. Nesting boxes are provided in a barn system (the same as on free range farms), providing hens with a safe, secure area to lay their eggs. The floor is covered in ‘litter’, usually wood shavings, in which hens can scratch, forage and dust bathe. The difference between barn eggs and free range eggs is that hens in a free range system are given opportunity to go outdoors via pop holes in the sides of the barn.

SPCA Certified works to improve the lives of as many farmed animals as possible. We believe this can also be achieved by providing evidence-based animal welfare standards for barn layer hen production systems, as well as free range layer hen systems (similarly to free range and barn raised meat chickens). Therefore, SPCA Certified animal welfare standards for barn layer hens were developed, as SPCA advocate for continuous improvement in farming systems and believe the welfare of animals in current systems must be safeguarded. Including barn layer hens under the SPCA Certified scheme ensures these hens are provided with a comfortable, enriched environment, and are given more, and better opportunities to display their natural behaviours in this system.

All SPCA Certified farms are audited on a regular basis at least twice a year, including an annual audit.

What makes SPCA Certified different from other animal welfare certification programmes is that all SPCA Certified farms have regular unannounced audits every year, as well as annual audits. In some cases, this can be an additional three times per year. With unannounced audits, a farmer may be notified a maximum 24 hrs in advance, however the audit is often completely unannounced. Any notification is primarily made to ensure health and safety of the auditors and to understand any biosecurity risks on farm. On top of this, when a new farm member joins the programme, they are visited several times in the first year by SPCA Certified staff to ensure there are no concerns with implementing the new standards.

Many other programmes only audit a percentage of farms every few years.

SPCA works in several ways to improve meat chicken welfare in New Zealand, including education and advocacy and working with government and industry.

SPCA’s endorsement of the Australia-New Zealand Better Chicken Commitment is part of an ongoing advocacy campaign by SPCA and is separate to the SPCA Certified animal welfare certification programme. SPCA Certified farms already meet some of the Better Chicken Commitment requirements, but not all. SPCA Certified will continue to work with SPCA Certified members on continuous, incremental animal welfare improvements.

One of the requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment is the move to using slower- growing chicken breeds. There are animal welfare issues associated with selecting chickens for fast growth, such as leg and gait or mobility issues. Therefore, SPCA advocates for the introduction of slower-growing meat chickens. However, at this stage, these breeds are not available in New Zealand.

Many people choose to eat chicken, so we want to work with those members who raise their chickens in a manner that gives the animals a better quality of life now. If we weren’t involved, this wouldn’t happen. So, we will continue to work with farmers to educate them on improved welfare practices and ensure more positive animal welfare outcomes.

Being a member of SPCA Certified does not preclude a business from signing up to the Better Chicken Commitment, as SPCA sees this as an opportunity for New Zealand food businesses to demonstrate their commitment to higher animal welfare standards.

SPCA Certified is about what can be achieved right now, and the Better Chicken Commitment is about what we can work towards for a better future. SPCA Certified recommends that meat chicken producers switch to the use of slower-growing breeds as soon as they are available in New Zealand.

SPCA works in several ways to improve meat chicken welfare in New Zealand, including education, advocacy and working with government and industry. SPCA endorses the Australia-New Zealand Better Chicken Commitment as part of an ongoing advocacy campaign by SPCA. This work is separate to SPCA’s animal welfare certification programme.

SPCA Certified meat chicken farms meet some of the Better Chicken Commitment requirements, but not all. One of the requirements of the Better Chicken Commitment is the use of slower-growing breeds which are currently not available in New Zealand but are available in other parts of the world. SPCA advocates for the introduction of slower-growing meat chickens into New Zealand as soon as possible.

Many people choose to eat chicken, so we work with those farmers who raise their meat chickens in a manner that gives them a better quality of life now. If we weren’t involved, this wouldn’t happen. Therefore, we will continue to work with farmers to educate them on better farming practices to ensure continuous, incremental animal welfare improvements.

SPCA Certified is about what can be achieved right now, and the Better Chicken Commitment is about what we can work towards for a better future.

SPCA supports New Zealand food businesses to sign up to the Commitment and convenes the Better Chicken Commitment Technical Working Group. If you are interested in learning more about these please contact certfied@spca.nz.

By buying food products bearing the SPCA Certified blue badge you are making a difference in the lives of animals. SPCA Certified members have stepped up to the challenge of becoming SPCA Certified and continue to work hard to maintain higher animal welfare standards.

Our goal is to encourage people who already choose to eat meat, eggs, dairy, and fish, to buy products from producers who are invested in giving their animals better lives.

Your choice makes a difference. By supporting farmers and businesses who are committed to improving animal welfare, you also help to improve farmed animal welfare in New Zealand.

See the range of food products that are available with the SPCA Certified blue badge.

We believe in showing you exactly what our SPCA Certified standards are – you can find our full standards here on our website. The easy-to-navigate comparison tables show you exactly where and how our standards go above the legal minimums.

To ensure these standards are being upheld, we conduct up to four audits of every single farm annually. That’s more than any other animal welfare certification programme in New Zealand. Not only that, but there are also unannounced audits. Additionally, SPCA Certified audits are carried out by an independent auditing company.

Many other certification programmes only audit a percentage of farms every few years.

Consciously reducing your reliance on animal products is one way to go. That does not mean being 100% vegetarian or vegan. Simply reducing how much or how often you consume animal products can have an effect.

If choosing to eat animal products, choose to buy those products that are SPCA Certified, or where there are other transparent animal welfare credentials for that farming system and for that food product.

Commit to buying cage-free eggs to reduce the demand for cage eggs (e.g. colony cage eggs).

Ask your local supermarket or food store where their products come from and whether they are farmed to higher welfare standards. For example, avoid buying imported animal products, as animals in other countries are often farmed to lower welfare standards than here in New Zealand.

Check out the animal welfare policies of the company or brand before buying animal products.

Finally, make sure you understand labels and certifications on food products.

Companion animal services have recently been included under the SPCA Certified programme, with the first service-specific standards launched in 2020 for doggy daycares facilities.

SPCA welcomes and encourages all businesses within the pet care industry to get in touch with us if interested in discussing collaborative opportunities as we endeavour to support and progress animal welfare in pet care services.

SPCA Certified is a voluntary programme that provides an avenue for pet care businesses to further improve and show their commitment to animal welfare. SPCA Certified standards for doggy daycares take into consideration SPCA policy, available animal welfare science, current legislation, advice from veterinarians and technical specialists, as well as industry best practice and practical experience of pet care professionals. Joining the programme and becoming SPCA Certified allows pet owners to identify your business as a provider of high-level animal care that meets SPCA Certified’s animal welfare standards.

Some of the key benefits of the programme include:

• Assurance – Owners are looking for something that sets a dog daycare apart, they want to understand what happens to their companion when away, and the SPCA Certified programme can help assure them of your commitment, and what you are already doing.
• Unique selling point – With growing awareness of animal welfare and the importance of ensuring a dog’s mental and physical needs, being SPCA certified can help differentiate you from other dog daycares.
• Clear guidelines – We aim to help support the industry to meet and maintain clear standards, with a goal to support the pet care sector be the best.

There are currently no regulations in place for the pet care industries, including doggy daycare facilities - outside of the Code of Welfare: Temporary Housing of Companion Animals. It has been recognised that there is a need for regulation of the doggy daycare industry and the current lack of regulation has resulted in very real consequences for dog welfare, including some high-profile cases of dogs dying in daycare. The Code for Temporary Housing for Companion Animals (2018) was an important step towards this but does not contain specific requirements relating to doggy daycares.

SPCA Certified Doggy Daycare standards incorporate the most recent evidence-based research, animal welfare and veterinary knowledge, national and international best practice, and specific industry feedback. SPCA Certified Standards are above what is required by law, and where possible, match or exceed recommended best practice.

SPCA works to improve the lives of as many companion animals as possible and believes it can achieve this by providing evidence-based animal welfare standards for the various pet care industries in New Zealand.

There are currently no regulations in place for the pet care industries, including doggy daycare facilities – outside of the Code of Welfare: Temporary Housing of Companion Animals and it has been recognised that there is a need for this type of regulation.

SPCA Certified doggy daycare facilities are independently audited on an annual and unannounced basis, ensuring on-going compliance with the standards. Some examples of the requirements for SPCA Certified Doggy Daycare standards regard requirements of having a set staff to dog ratio, implementation and keeping of specific standard operating procedures, animal and human first aid kits on site, day plans with both activities and rest periods, and a maximum number of dogs in playgroups.

SPCA believes that providing service-specific standards, this will support the industry in ensuring New Zealand companion animals receive the highest standard of care, and support New Zealand pet care businesses in becoming world leading in companion animal welfare.