Animal welfare assurance through auditing

While other certification programmes in New Zealand may audit farms and facilities annually, every 18 months, or even once every three years, SPCA Certified has an audit schedule that requires up to four audits annually for farms and pet-care facilities – where there are animals, we want to see them, and we want to see them regularly. This is imperative, because throughout the year, there can be variable conditions, such as inclement weather, feed availability, husbandry procedures, and sometimes different groups of animals. It is important to know that these factors are being managed appropriately, to ensure the animals under the SPCA Certified programme are living a better life.

As well as conducting regular audits on member farms and facilities, at least half of these are unannounced. An unannounced audit is a cornerstone principle in ensuring that SPCA Certified standards are being upheld all the time – not just at the time of a scheduled audit. ‘Unannounced’ can include calling late the day before to organise an audit, or it can mean giving 30 minutes notice before arriving on farm. Unannounced audits are important to understand how a farm or facility is operating, and a useful time to cast an eye over the animals and potentially identify areas for improvement. This ensures welfare improvements are ongoing and not just a one-off.

At SPCA Certified, we believe auditing should be independent, to avoid potential bias or conflict of interest. This is called ‘Third-party’ auditing. We use the auditing company QCONZ, who are experienced in completing a wide range of agricultural audits. The auditors involved in SPCA Certified auditing all have an interest in animal welfare, and have received additional training on the standards, and particular aspects of welfare for the species they will be auditing. This ensures they are fully aware of the animal welfare issues in the various farming systems and how to spot them. The auditing team have regular meetings to touch base with SPCA Certified, and direct phone access at any time, should they be on-site and are unsure about anything. At the conclusion of every audit, a report is generated both for the member and SPCA Certified and every single one is read by an SPCA Certified team member. If there are any concerns or queries, we go back to the auditor for clarification – and if necessary, we take issues back to the programme member.

We believe that our auditing programme is strong, giving assurance our standards are being implemented on farm and in associated facilities, and the desired outcomes achieved – a better experience for the animals. We believe SPCA Certified is a credible system for animal welfare supporting continued incremental improvements, whilst also recognising that progress in being made. We also believe in transparency, which is why the SPCA Certified standards are publicly available, and free for download on the website. Check them out to see how we are helping farmers achieve meaningful change now, whilst pushing for continuous improvement into the future.