Animal Care Assessment (ACA) - Manual - CQA

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Introduction:The swine Animal CareAssessment has been designedas an educational and assessmenttool for producers totrack the welfare of animals ontheir farms, independent of theproduction system. Coupledwith the external verificationprocess, the program can beused to provide assurance ofon-farm animal welfare. Implementingan animal care assessmentwill help you manageanimal care on your farm anddemonstrate this to customers.Pigs are raised in many waysincluding indoor systems (whichpredominate in Canada), outdoorpasture systems and mixedindoor-outdoor systems. Eachsystem has its own set of advantagesand disadvantages for theanimals. Within any system,however, animal welfare islargely determined by theamount and quality of careprovided.Standards described in thisassessment are outlined invarious recommended codesincluding the RecommendedCode of Practice for the Careand Handling of Farm Animals— Pigs, the Addendum EarlyWeaned Pigs and Transportation.Producers are encouraged torefer to these documents whencompleting the assessment.The Approach:The aspects of day-to-day farmlife that impact the health andwelfare of the pig have beenidentified in the swine AnimalCare Assessment and checklist.By completing the questions,producers will create a welfareassessment for their farm.This program builds on thefood safety aspects of the CQA ®program as it is recognized thatmany practices that promotefood safety on farms also areessential to good animal care.Attention to animal healthand well-being are critical.Participants following theAnimal Care Assessment willbe required to meet the foodsafety requirements of CQA ® .When the document refers tooperating procedures or standardoperating procedures, thissimply means that you havean approach to address thisparticular issue, and that theapproach is written down.Shaded questions are programrequirements.This document was developedby a team of producer representatives,researchers andgovernment officials. It is anevolving document. As part ofthe evolution, the CanadianPork Council is committed totaking a leadership role infurthering work on variousissues, including sow housing,tail trimming, castration andenvironmental enrichment.ANIMAL CARE ASSESSMENT, 2010I-1
Part 1: GeneralStockmanshipWell-trained stockpeople are the key to success in any type of system. Stockpeople and pigs are inregular and close contact during the course of a normal day. Sometimes pigs need to be restrainedfor veterinary purposes or other procedures. During these interactions, the demeanor and behaviourof the stockperson influences the pig’s stress level and subsequently, the pig’s response.Handling studies have shown that pigs are very sensitive to brief tactile interactions with humans.Negative tactile interactions imposed briefly but recurrently will cause fear of humans.The above-mentioned interactions also affect the stockperson, and can influence his or herattitude, stress level, and work performance to the extent of affecting job satisfaction.Before working with pigs, stockpeople need to know the basic needs of the animals entrustedto their care and receive adequate instruction to look after them humanely. Training shouldinclude a review of the Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of FarmAnimals — Pigs, the Addendum Early Weaned Pigs and Transportation. Producers are encouragedto establish standard operating procedures for dealing with various aspects of pig welfare(feed, water, treatment, handling etc.) and to make these standard operating procedures partof the education and ongoing training of staff.Attitudes and personalities of stockpeople strongly determine their demeanor and hence theirbehaviour towards animals. A stockperson’s behaviour influences a pig’s welfare and the qualityof the interaction influences both welfare and production. Pigs that are handled by stockpeoplethat are considerate perform better. Producers need to understand the relationship betweenattitudes and behaviour and begin training staff and selecting new staff with positive attitudes.The best stockpeople:• Like their pigs• Have a good understanding of their needs• Are determined to meet the needs of the pigs• Provide, through knowledgeable handling practices, a high level of care which results inoptimum pig health, welfare and performance.Staff Training1) Do you have copies or have access to the Recommended Codes of Practicefor the Care and Handling of Farm Animals available?(Participants should have access to the codes that are of relevance to their farming operationavailable as follows: Recommended code of practice for the care and handling of farm animals:Pigs, Addendum Early Weaned Pigs and Transportation)Yes ● No ●ANIMAL CARE ASSESSMENT, 20101-1
Page 1 and 2: Animal CareAssessment2011
Page 3: Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION......
Page 7 and 8: 6) Are stockpeople trained in the u
Page 9 and 10: 14) Are your loading areas and ramp
Page 11 and 12: EuthanasiaIn the case of severe inj
Page 13 and 14: Fresh air should be provided and ex
Page 15 and 16: Piglet processingTeeth trimming is
Page 17 and 18: All sows should be fed, at a minimu
Page 19 and 20: The farrowing unit is to be designe
Page 21 and 22: Facilities/SupervisionTemperatureTh
Page 23 and 24: Weaned pig comfortAll equipment use
Page 25 and 26: Pigs kept on solid, bedded floors a
Page 27 and 28: If yes, detail what the specific pr
Page 29 and 30: Part 4 - Grow/FinishStockmanshipPos
Page 32 and 33: VicesResearch has shown that the we
Page 34 and 35: FeedPigs must have access to nutrit
Page 36 and 37: Some provision for heating or cooli
Page 38: Appendix 2: Resources for producers

Animal Care Assessment (ACA) - Manual - CQA

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