Driving Animal Welfare Improvements in New Zealand via Certification Programmes

The Animal Welfare Act (1999) provides for the welfare of animals in New Zealand, placing obligations on people who own/are in charge of animals to provide for their welfare. Codes of Welfare expand on these basic obligations, set minimum standards and recommend best practice. These codes may also reference regulations issued under the AWA that impose enforceable requirements on owners/persons in charge of animals.

Animals in New Zealand have been legally recognised as sentientunder the Animal Welfare Act since2015 – recognised as being capable of experiencing positive and negative emotions. Yet, farmed animal welfare is only regularly audited where external retail customers might require animal welfare assurances ,for companies to meet their corporate responsibilities, for quality assurance of food products, or in cases of reported animal welfare concerns.

Primary industry, farmers and animal welfare groups can develop animal welfare certification programmes. However, some industry-developed standards may only audit to minimum standards or slightly above, not to high animal welfare standards. SPCA Certified is an animal welfare certification programme that has been operating since 2001. The programme is underpinned by evidence-based welfare standards derived from The Five Domains of Animal Welfare to raise animal welfare.

This drives welfare improvements by requiring farms/businesses to make welfare improvements that go above and beyond legal requirements, and work toward providing a good life for animals. SPCA Certified requires both regular and unannounced audits to assess compliance with the standards. This ensures welfare improvements are ongoing, and not just a one-off.

Over time, the number of animals and species under SPCA Certified has increased, due in part to, meeting external customer expectations, consumers wanting humanely-produced food, lack of specific government regulation for some species (e.g. dog daycares), and a burgeoning global movement toward animals having a life worth living. Plus, improved animal welfare is good for business.

Some of the impacts of SPCA Certified include; decreases in number and severity of non-conformance, providing platforms for meat chickens to perch on, extra training for farm staff around improved on-farm practices, as well as educating consumers about the animal products they buy, and that their choice makes a difference to farmed animal welfare in New Zealand.

Science-based certification programmes, such as SPCA Certified have an important role to play - alongside robust government standards and proactive industry bodies - in driving improvement in animal welfare in New Zealand.