Animal Welfare & Humane Handling

1. Animal Welfare Programs

Develop structured animal welfare programs designed to establish responsibilities, monitoring systems, performance standards, corrective actions, and continuous improvement practices.

Key Areas

  • Animal welfare program development

  • Welfare policies and procedures

  • Welfare performance indicators

  • Handling practices

  • Facility and equipment assessment

  • Employee competency

  • Welfare monitoring

  • Non-compliance management

  • Corrective action planning

  • Welfare documentation

  • Management oversight

  • Continuous improvement

2. Humane Handling

Assess and strengthen animal handling practices to minimize avoidable stress, injury, suffering, and operational risks throughout receiving and processing activities.

Key Areas

  • Animal receiving practices

  • Unloading procedures

  • Movement and handling

  • Holding and lairage practices

  • Handling equipment

  • Animal behaviour indicators

  • Employee handling techniques

  • Welfare monitoring

  • Handling-related non-compliance

  • Corrective actions

  • Employee training

  • Performance verification

3. Loading Density

Assess animal loading density and transportation conditions using animal characteristics, vehicle capacity, environmental conditions, journey considerations, and applicable welfare requirements.

Key Areas

  • Loading density assessment

  • Animal weight considerations

  • Available floor-space assessment

  • Vehicle capacity

  • Weather and environmental conditions

  • Journey duration considerations

  • Animal condition

  • Overcrowding risk

  • Transport documentation

  • Welfare risk assessment

  • Loading planning

  • Performance monitoring

4. Stunning Verification

Develop and assess verification systems designed to evaluate stunning effectiveness, identify indicators of ineffective stunning, support timely corrective action, and strengthen animal welfare controls.

Key Areas

  • Stunning procedure assessment

  • Stunning equipment controls

  • Effectiveness indicators

  • Signs of sensibility

  • Monitoring frequencies

  • Employee competency

  • Backup stunning procedures

  • Corrective action requirements

  • Equipment maintenance

  • Verification records

  • Trend analysis

  • Continuous improvemen

5. Animal Welfare Audits

Conduct structured animal welfare assessments to evaluate handling practices, facilities, equipment, employee performance, documentation, and compliance with applicable welfare requirements.

Key Areas

  • Welfare audit planning

  • Receiving and unloading assessment

  • Handling practices

  • Holding conditions

  • Stunning performance

  • Equipment assessment

  • Employee competency

  • Welfare records

  • Non-conformance identification

  • Corrective action planning

  • Audit reporting

  • Follow-up verification

6. Transport Requirements

Support organizations in understanding and implementing animal transport controls designed to protect animal welfare during loading, transportation, unloading, and associated handling activities.

Key Areas

  • Fitness for transport assessment

  • Loading practices

  • Loading density

  • Vehicle suitability

  • Environmental conditions

  • Journey planning

  • Feed, water, and rest considerations

  • Compromised animal management

  • Transport documentation

  • Receiving and unloading

  • Welfare monitoring

  • Corrective action planning