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You are here: Home / Farm Animals / Animal Welfare Audits and Certification Programs 
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Farm Animals

In the United States, most livestock production industries have developed and implemented science-based animal care guidelines in response to consumer concerns that animals being raised for food production are treated humanely. Assurances that animals are being raised according to these guidelines are provided through voluntary third-party audits rather than legislation. The information on this page provides links to animal husbandry guidelines, animal welfare audit overviews, humane certification programs, food industry animal welfare policies, and related international policies.

Audit and Assessment Programs
American Meat Institute Recommended Handling and Stunning Practices and Other Information for Welfare Auditing
Links to articles and forms on animal welfare audits and humane slaughter provided by Dr. Temple Grandin at Colorado State University.
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Cattle grazingCertification and Education Programs: Current Status of Farm Animal Welfare, 2005  (PDF|366KB)
USDA. NIFA. Plant and Animal Systems.
This symposium presents various perspectives on animal welfare auditing and certification programs and educational efforts in food animal production.
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Animal Welfare Audits for Cattle, Pigs, and Chickens that use the HACCP Principles of Critical Control Points
Colorado State University.
Dr. Temple Grandin presents information on critical control points for restaurant audits of animal welfare at slaughter plants.
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Livestock and Seed Auditing Services
USDA. Agricultural Marketing Service.
Information on Quality Systems Verification Programs (QSVP) provided by the USDA.
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What You Need to Know About Animal Welfare Audits  (PDF|104 KB)
Northeast Dairy Operations.
In this short article, Dr. Jim Reynolds answers questions about dairy cattle animal welfare audit programs.
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Why Should I Know About Animal Welfare Audits?  (PDF|154 KB)
Tri-State Dairy Nutrition Conference.
This article discusses what auditing tools are available and which programs fit different production needs in the dairy industry.
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National Dairy FARM ProgramSM
National Milk Producers Federation.
The National Dairy FARM Program is a nation-wide program that addresses animal well-being in the dairy industry through a third-party verification system.
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Beef Quality Assurance: Past, Present and Future  (PDF|95.7 KB)
Cattlemen's Beef Board.
This 2006 review examines the current status of the check-off funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program of the US and summarize possible future directions.
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National Council of Chain Restaurants’ and Food Marketing Institute’s Animal Welfare Audit Program  (PDF|84 KB)
An overview of the Animal Welfare Audit Program (AWAP) built around the needs of the member businesses of both the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI).
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Animal Welfare
Food Marketing Institute.
Links to news releases and reports about the FMI-NCCR Animal Welfare Program.
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Farm Animal Care Training and Auditing (FACTA)
FACTA provides science-based animal care training and auditing services independent of pork, beef, dairy or poultry production interests.
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Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization, Inc. (PAACO)
Provides training and certification programs for animal welfare auditors.
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Animal Welfare Audit Program
SES, Inc.
SES, Inc. provides animal welfare audit services for the National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute.
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Beef and Pork Animal Welfare Audit
Silliker.
Provides animal welfare auditing services for beef, pork, and poultry facilities.
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Animal Welfare Review Program
Validus.
Provides auditing services for dairy animal facilities.
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Animal Welfare Audits
New Horizon Technologies.
Provides audit services for the Animal Welfare Audit Program (AWAP) of the National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), the Food Marketing Institute (FMI).
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Certification Programs
Animal Welfare Approved
Animal Welfare Institute.
This standards program uses the "Five Freedoms" as goals that farmers aim to acheive in the care and handling of their animals.
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American Humane Certified™
American Humane Association.
Gives information about the American Humane certification program for animal production facilities.
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Certified Humane Certification Program
Humane Farm Animal Care
Non-profit group provides inspection, certification and labeling program for meat, poultry, egg and dairy products from animals raised to humane care standards.
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United Egg Producers Certified
United Egg Producers.
A voluntary program in which companies may become United Egg Producers Certified if they meet certain requirements, including implementing the Animal Husbandry Guidelines for US Egg Laying Flocks.
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FoodAlliance.org
This nonprofit organization operates a third-party certification program for sustainably produced food. Certified ranchers and farmers must also ensure the health and humane treatment of animals.
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Milk & Dairy Beef Quality Assurance Program
Milk & Dairy Beef Quality Assurance (DQA) Center.
Programs designed to improve the quality of milk and dairy beef. Educational materials cover milk safety adn quality, environmental stewardship, dairy animal care, personnel management, dairy beef quality, and pathogen management.
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Standards and Guidelines
Animal Handling and Audit Guidelines
AnimalHandling.org
Provides an animal handling and audit guidelines from the American Meat Institute (AMI) as well as links to companies that provide auditing services.
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Humane Husbandry Criteria
Animal Welfare Institute.
Humane husbandry standards are outlined for pigs, cattle, ducks, rabbits, and sheep. Housing, diet, health, and transport of animals are addressed.
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Animal Husbandry Guidelines for US Egg Laying Flocks  (PDF|290 KB)
United Egg Producers.
Guidelines that producers of egg laying flocks must meet in order to market their products as United Egg Producers Certified.
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About the Chicken Industry
National Chicken Council.
In addition to other documents about the chicken industy in the US, this page provides links to:
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Animal Care Best Management Practices for the Production of Turkeys  (PDF|580 KB)
National Turkey Federation.
These guidelines were developed to ensure that turkeys are humanely raised and receive expert veterinary care with the goal of providing a safe product to customers.
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Beef Quality Assurance Guidelines and National Manual
National Cattlemen's Beef Association.
Links to documents for the beef check-off program including guidelines on feedstuffs, feed additives and medications, processing/treatment and records, injectable animal health products, and care and husbandry practices.
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Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg Laying Flocks  (PDF|292KB)
United Egg Producers.
Provides recommendations for best management practices for cage and cage free egg production.
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Animal Welfare Information from the National Pork Board
Pork Checkoff.
Links to fact sheets, publications, programs and research relating to animal welfare in the US swine industry.
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Sheep Care Guide
American Sheep Industry Association
Published in 2006, these guidelines for sheep producers are intended to minimize animal stress and improve the health and well-being of sheep.
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Swine Welfare Assurance Program (SWAP)
National Pork Board.
Information about the Swine Welfare Assurance Program (SWAP) and a searchable database to locate a Certified SWAP™ Educator (CSE) near you.
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Recommended Animal Handling Guidelines and Audit Guide, 2007 Edition
American Meat Institute.
The AMI's audit guidelines recommend that companies conduct by self-audits and third party audits using specific criteria.
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Food Industry Animal Welfare Policies
Whole Foods Market: Animal Welfare
Information on farm animal and meat quality standards as well as species-specific Animal Compassionate Standards required of producers who supply Whole Foods Markets.
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Harris Teeter: Animal Welfare
Details about animal welfare policies at Harris Teeter, including information on controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK), controlled-atmosphere stunning (CAS), gestation crates, and cage-free eggs.
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McDonald's Animal Welfare Program
Provides links to the McDonald's Animal Welfare Guiding Principles and program of standards and audit procedures for their producers.
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Wendy's Animal Welfare Program
Information on animal welfare and handling audits required of its suppliers by Wendy's.
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KFC Animal Welfare Program
Links to guiding principles for the humane treatment of animals set forth by Yum! Brands and to the KFC Poultry Welfare Guidelines.
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Heritage Foods USA
Products with the Heritage Foods label have a sticker that contains a traceability number so that consumers can find where the food was produced. Farmers participating in the program meet humane standards through either the Certified Humane program or the Animal Welfare Institute.
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International Programs
European Union Animal Welfare Quality Program
European standards for on-farm welfare assessment and product information systems as well as practical strategies for improving animal welfare. The program addresses consumer concerns and market demands.
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Quality Assurance Programs in Beef Production: A Study Tour of Denmark, Holland and the United Kingdom  (PDF|46.1 KB)
Iowa State University Extension.
Provides an overview of agriculture quality assurance programs in Europe in comparison to what currently exists in the United States.
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On-Farm Verification and Audits
Alberta Farm Animal Council.
Links to information on animal welfare audits, assessment programs, and standards of animal care for livestock raised in Canada.
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Certified Adherence to BC SPCA Farm Animal Welfare Standards
British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
This program is an independent third party certification system which assures consumers that food products comply with BC SPCA developed farm animal welfare standards for the handling of farm animals. The BC SPCA standard differs with the national code of practices published by the Canadian AGRI-Food Research Council in farm animal husbandry practices, including space per animal and transportation times.
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Freedom Food
Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
This page provides information about a UK farm assurance scheme, including welfare standards for all animal species on the farm and while being transported.
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Last Modified: Oct 26, 2009  
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