Livestock are at the centre of our industry, which is why we work to ensure their health and welfare. This is underpinned by Australian law, which is in line with, or stricter than, equivalent legislation in Europe.
Animal health and welfare is certified through the Australian Livestock Processing Industry Animal Welfare Certification System (AAWCS) scheme, which upholds the strictest of standards of welfare accreditation for agriculture animals. It provides guidance on ensuring animal welfare, and auditable metrics to measure minimum welfare, hygiene and transportation standards.
Under this framework, the responsibilities for verification and audit of animal welfare are broken down among the Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC), the Australian Meat Industry Language and Standards Committee (AMILSC), the Area Technical Manager (ATM) and AUS-MEAT. It further delineates between the duties of the establishment’s management, the Export Meat Program Food Safety, Animal Health and Welfare Unit, the Field Operations Manager as well as both the National Veterinary Technical Manager and on-site veterinarian.
As well as adhering to the requirements of AAWCS, the red meat industry also seeks constant improvement in animal welfare. We invest heavily in research and development, and work with government and stakeholders such as Animal Health Australia to enhance best practices
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ANIMAL WELFAREPRODUCTION INTEGRITYFOOD SAFETYPRODUCTIONQUALITYFEEDLOT SECTOR ON FARMPROCESSING
Article Date: 6th May 2019