This month’s issue of FarmSense is focused on horse housing and the development of new horse welfare policies in Canada. Horse-people and non-horse people alike will surely be interested about what’s in store.
We’re also featuring a brand new SPCA Certified product this month – Canada’s first and only white-shelled, cage-free, SPCA Certified egg! Check out the SPCA Certified Updates section to learn more about this exciting new product and where you can buy these eggs for your family.
Sincerely,
Brandy, Alyssa and Geoff The BC SPCA Farm Animal Welfare Team
PS. You can help spread awareness about the BC SPCA Farm Animal Welfare department and our many programs. Forward this email to friends and colleagues.
Feature story
Using the 5 Freedoms to assess the welfare implications of equine housing systems By Leiki Salumets, BC SPCA
All horse housing systems come with advantages and disadvantages - there is no one right way to keep horses.
An ideal system is dependent upon a combination of factors such as available space, climate, the horse’s intended use, cost effectiveness, number of horses being housed and the horse’s mental and physical well-being, among other things. A simple way to test whether a housing system provides a horse with good welfare is by consulting the Five Freedoms.
The
BC SPCA, in partnership with many experts, has created a number of
resources for farmers!
All resources can be accessed from the ‘Resources for Farmers’ section on our website.
Applied Knowledge
New horse welfare policies in Canada nosing ahead By Geoff Urton, M.Sc., BC SPCA
Minimum acceptable standards of care for horses and other equines are defined in Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines (1998), which is currently being updated.
The revised Code will set out firm new requirements for care and housing of all equines in Canada, and will serve as a reference document for provincial animal cruelty laws nation-wide. Surveys currently underway, and a 60-day public comment period slated for later this year, will allow the public a chance to provide input into Code contents.
New SPCA Certified egg producers - Haverman Hills Farm
A new egg-laying hen barn at Haverman Hills Farm was recently built based on SPCA Certified Standards for the Raising and Handling of Laying Hens (2009). Haverman Hills Farm hens became SPCA Certified in July 2012. Eggs are sold under the Rabbit River Farms SPCA Certified free-range label.
Rabbit River Farms now marketing Canada’s only white-shelled cage-free SPCA Certified eggs
Steve Easterbrook of Rabbit River Farms is now marketing Canada’s only white-shelled free-range SPCA Certified eggs. To date in Canada, cage-free specialty eggs have been brown-shelled while their white-shelled counterparts have come from hens housed in battery cages, but not anymore! These new cage-free white eggs are produced at Haverman Hills Farm, one of Rabbit River Farms’ newest egg suppliers to become SPCA Certified.
SPCA Certified and farmers’ markets: A perfect match!
Throughout the summer and fall, farmers’ markets feature SPCA Certified chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, cheeses and cage-free eggs. It’s the perfect time to meet the farmers, ask questions and purchase ethical products all in one go! The BC SPCA’s events calendar includes all the information you need to find a farmers’ market near you.
The SPCA Certified red barn label is your assurance that a product meets the BC SPCA’s high standardsfor farm animal welfare.
Connect with us
In other news....
Horse talk
English-speaking Canadians hear horses say “neigh”, but in other countries, people hear different sounds. Do Spanish horses say “el neigh”?
FarmSense includes news about farm animal welfare issues, research results, and information on the BC SPCA's activities that help farm animals in B.C. We welcome your comments and suggestions on FarmSense content. Please feel free to email us or call 604-681-7271 (or 1-800-665-1868 outside the Lower Mainland).
View or download (.pdf) previous issues of FarmSense on our website at spca.bc.ca/farmsense.
The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia. The Society provides a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.
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All horse housing systems come with advantages and disadvantages - there is no one right way to keep horses. 
Minimum acceptable standards of care for horses and other equines are defined in Canada’s Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines (1998), which is currently being updated. 
Throughout the summer and fall, farmers’ markets feature SPCA Certified chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, cheeses and cage-free eggs. It’s the perfect time to meet the farmers, ask questions and purchase ethical products all in one go! The 
English-speaking Canadians hear horses say “neigh”, but in other countries, people hear different sounds. Do Spanish horses say “el neigh”?
