Sheep

The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Sheep was released in 2013. The sheep Code’s 5-year review was delayed but completed in 2020. The outcome of the review can be found here.

Please note that content in the transportation section of this Code, along with additional transportation-related content (e.g., glossary terms) that had referenced or reflected the outdated version of Part XII (Transport of Animals) in the Health of Animal Regulations (HAR), or the now archived Compromised Animals Policy, has been updated to align with the amended regulations, which took effect on February 20, 2020. Hard copies of the Codes that were printed prior to this alignment will not include these updates. For clarity, Codes that have been updated will include a statement on the front cover that reads “Alignment with Part XII (Transport of Animals) of the Health of Animals Regulations: 2021”.

This update process was strictly aimed at revising existing text that no longer aligned with the amended HAR. Every effort was made to respect the original priorities and decisions of the Code Development Committee (e.g., text from the HAR was not added if it was not covered in the original Code). In case of a discrepancy between the hard copy and online version of a Code, the online version shall take precedence.

There are various ways to view the Code:

HTML version (or select from the Table of Contents below)
PDF version (1.9 MB)

There are a limited number of hard copies of this Code. NFACC encourages use of the electronic version and does not store hard copies. If hard copies are required, please contact the Canadian Sheep Federation.

Other resources:

Sheep Central Alberta - Responsible Animal Care and the Code of Practice
Scientific Committee report - Review of scientific research on priority issues - October 2012

Executive Summary: The Science of the Sheep Code

NFACC Code development process
Animal Welfare Research Needs
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)

Tail Docking of Sheep - Position Statement

Preface
Introduction
Glossary
Section 1 Environmental Conditions
Section 2 Facilities
Section 3 Feed and Water
Section 4 Health Management
Section 5 Husbandry Practices
Section 6 Transportation
Section 7 Euthanasia
References

Appendices
Appendix A	- Livestock Safety Index Chart
Appendix B	- Body Condition Scoring
Appendix C	- Accessing Veterinary Services
Appendix D	- Individual Examination and First Aid
Appendix E	- Understanding Sheep Behaviour
Appendix F	- Tail Docking
Appendix G	- Lambing and Neonatal Care
Appendix H	- Guidelines for Dealing with Compromised Sheep
Appendix I	- Livestock Transport Consignment Form
Appendix J	- Signs of Pain in Sheep
Appendix K	- Example of Decision Tree for Euthanasia
Appendix L	- Euthanasia
Appendix M	- Participants
Appendix N	- Summary of Code Requirements

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Codes Of Practice

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Under Revision

Archived Recommended Codes of Practice

Code Development Process

Sheep

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