The National Chicken Council, with input from the Professional Animal Auditors Certification Organization, revised its broiler and breeder welfare guidelines to increase the focus on bird behavior, objective measures and welfare outcomes.
As part of the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association’s 2018 Live Production, Welfare & Biosecurity Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, Dr. Ashley Peterson, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs, for the National Chicken Council (NCC) shared the details of those changes to the NCC’s Broiler and Broiler Breeder Guidelines. She spoke on September 18.
Revisions to the guidelines
The guidelines, originating in 1999, are issued as a recommendation by the industry trade group to its members to assure the humane treatment of animals and promote the production of quality products. The guidelines are developed to evaluate the commercial strains of broiler breeder chickens by auditing how these birds are raised, housed, managed and transported to slaughter.
The guidelines are reviewed biennially by scientific advisers who offer welfare expertise as well as advice and suggestions. The latest revisions to the guidelines were approved by the NCC board of directors in June 2017. The NCC began working with the Professional Animal Auditors Certification Organization (PAACO) in 2017 and the guidelines, with some modifications, received PAACO certification in July 2018.
Broiler guideline changes
Overall, the guidelines increased their focus on bird behavior, objective measures and welfare outcomes. There is also increased need for recordkeeping and corrective action requirements in the hatchery and on the farm.
For hatcheries:
- The number of culls, not pips, must be documented.
- Chicks must be evaluated at least once per day for equipment-related injuries. Greater than 1 percent per 10-box check per day, or a weekly average greater than 0.7 percent, will require corrective action.
- Beak trimming is now identified as beak treatment or conditioning.
For growout:
- There was no change in requirements for lighting intensity, but now a written lighting program is required. Determining optimal light intensity is challenging due to different breeds, housing types, lighting devices and growing programs. Peterson said she anticipates the issue will continue to be discussed and there may be further development of specific requirements in the future.
For catching and transportation:
- The guidelines added a new parameter regarding timely euthanasia for birds unfit for transport. Euthanasia should occur less than 12 hours after catching but no more than 24 hours after catching. Who is in charge of making euthanasia decisions and carrying out the act is not stipulated by the guidelines but rather determined by the company.
- Companies are now required to create a document covering catching procedures. The procedures must include a statement on establishing the maximum number of birds per hand. No more than five birds are allowed per hand if the bird weighs more than five pounds and no more than 10 birds per hand if the bird weighs less than five pounds. This statement must also include a record-keeping procedure to assess and measure welfare outcomes and a feedback mechanism from the company to the catching crew which states a clear timeline for feedback. Corrective actions are required if issues should arise.
Breeder guideline changes
Overall, Peterson said the breeder guidelines also include an increased focus on bird behavior, objective measures and welfare outcomes. The NCC also desires greater consistency between the broiler and breeder sections of the guidelines in order to ease auditing, especially of hatcheries.
General changes:
- Birds found under slats are now classified as a major non-conformance and will result in the automatic audit failure for the housing section.
- The language about beak, toe, comb and spur trimming or dubbing was changed to treatment or conditioning.
- The guidelines now include discussion on feed allocation programs to regulate pullet and breeder growth rates and a requirement to monitor body weight and body weight uniformity.
- It is now required that pullet trailers are monitored for damage. This was already a requirement for breeders.
For mortality and euthanasia:
- The guidelines now include specifics on broiler breeder monitoring that should be conducted by an auditor, such as reviewing flock records, walking the house, ensuring proper culling and mortality removal.
- Auditors are instructed to check that proper and timely euthanasia is performed when necessary. Euthanasia may be proper for birds affected by lameness, physical defects and other conditions potentially impeding their ability access feed and water.
- The guidelines added a new parameter for timely euthanasia of birds unfit for transport similar to the broiler guidelines. Euthanasia should occur less than 12 hours after catching but no more than 24 hours after catching. Who is in charge of making euthanasia decisions and carrying out the act is not stipulated by the guidelines but rather determined by the company.
Lingering questions
Peterson said the NCC strives for continuous improvement and it is always looking for further scientific research on welfare. Basing the welfare parameters around scientific data is important to maintaining the credibility and integrity of the guidelines.
A few items that may be revisited in the future once the NCC goes back to PAACO for recertification:
- 12-inch maximum chick drop in hatcheries: This longstanding parameter may be revisited in the future.
- Specific lighting requirements for broilers: There are questions about whether specificity should be added to the lighting parameters in the future.
- Stocking density for broilers: This is a high-profile issue for third-party welfare organizations like the Global Animal Partnership and is subject to further discussion.
- Number of birds per hand: Potential changes to the number of birds to be held at one time by a catcher.
