Animal Welfare Assurance - Improving animals’ lives via Certification

The New Zealand Animal Welfare Act 1999 (the Act) places obligations on people who own or are in charge of animals to provide for their welfare. Codes of Welfare expand on these basic obligations, setting minimum standards and recommending best practice. There are also animal welfare regulations issued under the Act that impose enforceable requirements.

Unfortunately, the Act is only enforced when animal welfare concerns have been reported, and farmed animal welfare is only audited regularly where external retail customers might require animal welfare assurances, for companies to meet their corporate responsibilities, and for quality and safety assurance of food products. This is where independent certification comes in and can make a real difference.

While primary industry, farmers, and animal welfare groups can develop animal welfare certification programmes, standards between programmes vary and some programmes may only audit to minimum legal standards or slightly above.

In contrast, SPCA Certified, SPCA’s animal welfare certification programme, is underpinned by evidence-based animal welfare standards, is independent from industry, and requires farms/businesses to meet standards that go above and beyond legal requirements to work toward providing a good life for animals. SPCA Certified requires both regular and unannounced audits to assess compliance with the standards. This ensures welfare improvements are ongoing and not just a one-off.

Over time, the number of animals and species under SPCA Certified has increased. This is in part due to businesses meeting external customer expectations, consumers wanting food that is produced more humanely, lack of specific government regulation for some species (e.g. dog daycares), and a burgeoning global movement toward animals having a life worth living. Plus, improved animal welfare is just good for business.

Some of the impacts of SPCA Certified include

• decreases in the number and severity of non-conformance,
• provision of environmental enrichment for all species ,
• specific requirements for shade and shelter,
• training of farm staff regarding improved on-farm welfare practices, such as low-stress handling and
• independent auditing.