CAIA Newsletter ~ Winter 2019

Development of National Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Finfish

The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) has initiated its formal processes in the development of a National Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Finfish.

Codes of Practice are nationally developed guidelines for the care and handling of farm animals. The Codes serve as the national understanding of animal care requirements and recommended practices.

Fish welfare is among top priorities for Canadian salmon farmers.  This new Code of Practice will provide farmers a recognized scheme to demonstrate their commitment to maintaining high welfare standards at all times. Development of such guidelines are consistent with other finfish farming countries e.g. Scotland RSPCA Fish Welfare Guidelines, and Norway NOFIMA Fishwell Handbook.

NFACC is currently working to establish a Code Development Committee (CDC) on which CAIA is entitled to have 4-5 seats on the Code Committee each representing various finfish species and producing regions. A call was made for qualifying CAIA member participants and those interested candidates will be selected in the coming weeks.

NFACC Codes are typically developed over a two-year period and we are aiming to start no later than March 2019 with an estimated completion date in Summer 2021.

For more information about NFACC and the Code development process please visit: http://www.nfacc.ca/codes-of-practice.

For a quick summary, see these NFAC videos:

• Raising the Bar - The Codes of Practice Development Process

• Key Features...of the Code Development Process

Dawid Werminski, Policy & Regulatory Affairs Manager as been assigned the CAIA staff liaison to work with the NFACC Code Manager and CDC Chair. For more information please contact:  dawid.werminski@aquaculture.ca.