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LAST CALL
DRAFT CODE OF PRACTICE FOR THE CARE AND HANDLING OF EQUINES
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD CLOSES FEB. 14, 2013
This IMPORTANT message is being sent to you due to your organization's
involvement with horses, donkeys and/or mules.
On December 3, 2012, Equine Canada and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) announced the beginning of the 60-day Public Comment Period for the DRAFT Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines. It is available for review online at www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice/equine.
Equine Canada is appealing to organizations across Canada to add their official feedback. Since the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines will be Canada's de facto document, it will have a better chance of reflecting a balance of beliefs and opinions about on-farm equine care if more Canadians participate in its development. Although participation from individuals has been steady, feedback from organizations like yours is missing.
Your organization has until February 14, 2013, to add comments or suggest alternative wording to the DRAFT. Your organization's input is valued and will make a difference to the overall content of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines.
All feedback received through the online system will be considered by the independent Code Development Committee (CDC) and changes will be made where applicable. Once finalized, the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines will be released into circulation during the summer of 2013.
The final Code will be yours to know, understand, defend and support so that is why it is vital for your organization to add its comments to the DRAFT before the Public Comment Period ends on February 14, 2013.
Your organization and those you may represent, are reminded of the following important points:
1. The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines is intended to promote sound management and welfare practices in regards to responsible horse, pony, donkey and mule ownership, health management, feeding, housing, feedlot management, principles of training, euthanasia and other husbandry practices.
2. An industry's Code of Practice impacts all participants in an industry, regardless of an individual or organization's participation in its development.
3. "Requirements" in the Code, highlighted in yellow at the end of each section, refer either to a regulatory requirement, since some provinces reference Codes in their regulations, or to an industry-imposed expectation, since law and animal welfare enforcement need to rely on clear statements from the equine industry in order to evaluate situations of suspected animal welfare infractions. Requirements outline either existing regulations or legislation that must be followed and/or outline what is acceptable and unacceptable. Regulations pertaining to on-farm animal care are handled by provincial legislation and the Criminal Code of Canada. If a case of suspected cruelty is brought before the courts, the courts will refer to the relevant legislation but will be looking to the Codes of Practice, which ultimately help to establish what is "reasonable and generally accepted."
4. Clearly written Requirements will not only assist those involved with enforcement but will also allow equine owners to feel confident that they have implemented Code requirements on their farm. It should be noted that regulations pertaining to animal transport and slaughter are controlled federally/nationally and their guidelines and Codes will be developed separately.
5. The "Recommended Practices" are agreed-to principles from the equine industry to further support the requirements in conjunction with promoting education and the adoption of practices for continuous improvement in animal welfare outcomes.
6. The DRAFT Code was developed over the course of 22 months by the 18-person Code Development Committee (CDC) which is comprised of nominated individuals from eight provinces with proven track records in their areas of expertise. Aiding their work was a five-person Scientists' Committee (SC) that developed a report synthesizing the results of research relating to the priority welfare issues agreed to as part of the NFACC code development process. To read background information and biographies of the committee members who developed the draft Equine Code and the Scientists' Report, please visit www.equinecanada.ca/code.
7. The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines is not Equine Canada-mandated. As the recognized national voice for the equine industry, its role is to facilitate promotion of the Code and act as the official liaison with the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) which is spearheading the development of Codes for eight animal industries. For more information, visit www.nfacc.ca.
8. The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines is not government-mandated. The Government of Canada contributed funds to develop the DRAFT Code and the eventual printing of a portion of the paper copies of the finalized Code. Funding was provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Agricultural Flexibility Fund, under the Addressing Domestic and International Market Expectations Relative to Farm Animal Welfare Project, as part of Canada's Economic Action Plan.
The following communication items are being made available for sharing with your members:
Bilingual Backgrounder
Web Copy English
Web Copy French
About the National Farm Animal Care Council
NFACC is a collaborative partnership of diverse stakeholders created in 2005 to share information and work together on farm animal care and welfare. It is the national lead for farm animal care issues in Canada. NFACC would like to acknowledge the Canadian Animal Health Coalition (CAHC) for their role in securing funding for this project. For more information on NFACC visit nfacc.ca.
For more information contact:
* Jackie Wepruk, General Manager & Project Coordinator, National Farm Animal Care Council, (403) 783-4066, nfacc@xplornet.com, nfacc.ca
* Julie Cull, Media relations and communications coordinator, Equine Canada,
(613) 248-3433 x 136, jcull@equinecanada.ca, equinecanada.ca
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