Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farm Animals

The new Recommended Code of Practice for Transport emphasizes the responsibilities of the poultry producer, the catching crew and the transporter and includes science-based recommendations to assist each sector with proper transport of all types of birds. All poultry do not have the same space requirements. Equipment specific to the species should be used.

The new code of practice suggests that vehicle drivers are responsible for the care and welfare of all birds during transport. As a transporter, Scherders accepts this and has in fact worked for several years to improve the care and handling of the poultry that he and his crews transport. Scherders has instituted training programs for his drivers and collecting crews that include manuals and educational videos.

Drivers should plan ahead and be ready for any changes in weather in what can often be a long journey. Coverings should be adjusted to allow birds to warm up or cool off, as required. Scherders has worked with a local engineer to study the internal temperatures of trucks during long trips in different kinds of weather conditions. As a result of this ground-breaking research, D.A.C trucks have been equipped with temperature monitors to assist drivers with ventilating the birds while en route. Scherders is currently investigating the effect of different humidity levels and is planning to install humidity sensors in his trucks.

Producers need to think about their role in the transport chain. Producers should provide properly designed buildings and loading areas to ensure that birds are loaded as quickly and safely as possible. The new Code of Practice recommends that producers lower the light intensity in the pen or use blue bulbs to facilitate loading. Corraling birds with a net or screen at the loading door will also speed things up.

Scherders is an active member of the Spent Laying Hen Working Group, which the Canadian Food Inspection Agency created in 1998 to improve the condition of spent hens arriving at Canadian slaughter plants. The working group has met twice and has put together recommended guidelines for the procurement, handling and transportation of spent laying hens.

The real problem, Scherders states, is the fact that the majority (80%) of spent hens have to travel long distances from either other provinces or the US. The real job is to convince producers in the US and elsewhere that they need to be more focused on the transportation of these birds, even though the birds have reached the end of their productive life. Shurder notes that the recent announcement by MacDonald's in the US has made companies more receptive to any ideas that promote the safety of animals during transport.

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