The future - outcome-based codes of welfare

The Animal Welfare Directorate of MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) and the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) are committed to improving animal welfare standards and practice in New Zealand. They are currently expanding the concept of outcome-based codes of welfare to better meet the needs of animals and changing public expectations in New Zealand.

How do codes of welfare work?

The Animal Welfare Act 1999 is based on a duty of care philosophy which obliges the owners and persons in charge of an animal to meet the physical, health and behavioural needs of animals in a manner that is in accordance with both good practice and scientific knowledge. The Act provides for the development of codes of animal welfare, which are designed to help everyone care for animals. Codes 'flesh out' the provisions of the Act by setting minimum standards of care, which owners and persons in charge of animals are expected to meet. In addition, codes include recommended best practice and explanatory material intended to encourage optimum animal welfare that exceeds the requirements of the minimum standards.

What are 'outcome-based' codes of welfare?

Outcome-based standards in codes of welfare focus on defining welfare outcomes for animals based on known needs. They do this in a manner that requires those outcomes to be delivered, rather than prescribing specific requirements for facilities and management techniques and systems.

Why go 'outcome-based?

The challenge in developing codes of welfare is to integrate the various and often conflicting social, ethical, economic and production management value judgements with the available science in a way that does not stifle innovation or require frequent alteration of the codes. Codes of welfare should spell out the minimum acceptable standards for managing animals in a manner that accommodates new knowledge and the changes that will inevitably occur in housing and management systems. Therefore, minimum standards that focus on the animal and its minimum required welfare outcomes offer greater utility and are likely to be more long-lived than prescriptive facilities-based standards that become outdated by new developments and attitudes.

Our experience with prescriptive standards is if the intended outcome is not stated, there can be debate about the validity of the standard because of different interpretations of the intended outcome. Facilities specifications could be offered in support of outcome-based minimum standards but not be a part of them.

We believe outcome-based standards, which would include readily observable and measurable welfare indicators, as measures of the achievement of that outcome, would allow farmers (or owners) to use their own expertise, experience, available technology and judgement to meet the minimum standards and demonstrate compliance with them.

When will codes of welfare become outcome-based?

NAWAC is proposing to develop such outcome-based codes when it reviews the broilers, laying hens and pig codes of welfare in 2009. Significant research and development of appropriate welfare indicators for other animals is required before such codes can be developed for other species. As a first step toward this goal, NAWAC will sponsor a workshop with stakeholders, to be held in 2008, that will explore how animal welfare assurance can be provided.

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Page last updated: 6 July 2010