Beef Cattle Code of Practice - Progress Updates

June 2025

The beef cattle Code Committee (CC) met in Calgary in May for a productive two-day meeting. Online meetings by Code subcommittees throughout the spring provided valuable content and chapter updates for the group to review while in person.

The CC continued their discussion on transport, essentially coming to consensus on the transport chapter of the updated Code of Practice. The group focused their discussions on care and handling practices before and after transport that support animal welfare of cattle when being transported.

Building on previous conversations, the CC also made substantial progress in updating the animal husbandry chapter of the Code of Practice. The group had focused conversations on animal handling, pain control for various management procedures, and calving management, coming to consensus on many of the requirements and recommended practices within this chapter. Discussion on this section will continue throughout the summer, as the subcommittee continues to meet, discuss, and finalize content.

The Scientific Committee (SC) completed an additional two chapters of their report (Weaning and Animal Health Conditions). The SC Chair presented a summary of both chapters to the CC, with the research helping to inform discussion on the CC’s approach to these topics within the updated Code. The SC has now written all chapters of their research report on priority welfare issues. The report will soon be peer reviewed before being finalized and released.

In addition to detailed discussions on the transport and husbandry sections of the Code of Practice, the CC also discussed next steps for the remainder of the Code update process. This included continual discussions on Code content by the subcommittees throughout the summer, as well as planning and preparations for the next in-person meeting. The CC continues to give consideration to the priorities identified at the outset of the project, including those identified in the top-of-mind survey.

The next in person meeting for the Code Committee is scheduled for October 2025, after which it is anticipated that the Code will be prepared for the Public Comment Period.

February 2025

The beef cattle Code Committee (CC) had a productive, two-day meeting in January. Thanks to the diligent work by the subcommittees who met (online) throughout the fall, the CC was able to essentially come to consensus on three chapters of the updated Code of Practice:  

• Animal Environment (e.g. protection from extreme weather, handling facilities)  
• Feed and Water (e.g. body condition, feed management) 
• On-Farm Euthanasia (e.g. criteria for euthanasia, acceptable methods).  

Building on initial discussions on transport at the previous meetings, the committee also made good progress on the updated transport chapter and will continue those discussions in the winter/spring with emphasis on recommended practices for that chapter.   

The Scientific Committee (SC) has also made great progress having now completed two chapters of their report (End-of-Life Management and Pain Control for Pain and Painful Procedures). The Chair of the Scientific Committee presented both chapters to the CC, and the research served as a key point of departure for the committee’s discussions on how to approach those topics in the updated Code. The SC is now working on the remaining chapters of their research report on priority welfare issues.  

In addition to detailed consideration of the content in each section of the Code, the CC is also in a good routine of taking an important step back to consider the topics more broadly, identify content that may need to be addressed consistently across the Code of Practice, and ensure they are giving due consideration to priorities identified at the outset of the project, including those from the top-of-mind survey.  

The next in-person meeting for the Code Committee has been scheduled for May 2025. 

October 2024

This fall, subgroups of the Code Committee are meeting (virtually) to discuss draft updates to three chapters of the beef cattle Code of Practice: Animal Environment, Feed and Water, and Transport. This work will allow them to consider, in greater detail, some of the main themes that were identified through the top-of-mind survey notably ensuring cattle receive sufficient feed and water, protection from the elements, and proper care and handling in preparation for loading and transport. One focus of their work on the transport chapter will be to further update it to align with the 2019 federal animal transport regulations.

In keeping with the Code process, other Canadian and international standards or assessment tools that may have implications for Canadian beef producers are being reviewed. The Code Committee has worked to ensure it considers a broad range of relevant standards covering all facets of beef production and any production type applicable to the Canadian context. 

Lastly, in-person and online meetings of the full Code Committee have been scheduled for January and May, and work on the Scientific Committee’s report on Priority Welfare Issues is also underway. Two chapters of this report will be prepared in advance of the January Code meetings and, after that research has been presented, the Code Committee will begin deliberating on specific ways to incorporate the research findings into the updated Code of Practice.

August 2024

First meeting – June 5 and 6, 2024 

Prior to this inaugural meeting, the Code Committee attended an online webinar covering the main aspects of the Code Development Process. The June face-to-face meeting followed soon after and was attended by both the Code Committee and Scientific Committee. This busy, two-day meeting had a varied format including roundtable discussions, presentations, and small-group breakout sessions. Committee members got to know each other through detailed introductions and discussed the main themes from a recent online survey that captured top-of-mind welfare topics for beef cattle (a summary of the survey input is available here).

Other highlights of the meeting included an overview of the beef cattle industry today along with the main strategies to ensure uptake and awareness of the current beef cattle Code of Practice. Building on a review of the principles of consensus, participants developed a shared purpose statement that will serve to guide their work together. Lastly, a list of priority welfare issues was agreed to (available here). These topics will form the basis of the Scientific Committee’s research report (the 2012 report is available here).

In advance of the next face-to-face meeting, the Code Committee (and subgroups of that committee) will have a series of online meetings to begin working on updated draft sections of the Code. The Scientific Committee will begin its review of research on the priority welfare issues.