SA’s ostrich business will get critical about animal welfare

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South Africa’s ostrich business unveiled its Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace in 2021, and 85% of farms are at the moment collaborating within the programme. Dr Adriaan Olivier, business veterinarian on the South African Ostrich Enterprise Chamber, spoke to Glenneis Kriel concerning the origins of the usual and what’s required of producers.

SA’s ostrich industry gets serious about animal welfare
‘We‘ve discovered that the majority farmers observe sound welfare practices and environmentally accountable manufacturing strategies,‘ says business veterinarian Dr Adriaan Olivier.
Picture: FW Archive

Why was the Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace developed?
The business had a very good Code of Follow, which centered totally on manufacturing administration requirements. By 2018, nonetheless, considerations have been being raised that the code wasn’t sufficiently detailed or formalised. Luxurious items firm Hermès, the largest worldwide purchaser of high-quality ostrich leather-based, labored with Klein Karoo Worldwide to drive the event of an ostrich commonplace, and this was formally launched in 2021.
(Klein Karoo Worldwide merged with Mosstrich to turn out to be Cape Karoo Worldwide in 2019.)

What makes the Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace completely different from the Code of Follow?
The code was developed by the business for the business, whereas the usual touches on each side of the ostrich manufacturing cycle. The business consulted with Unique Assurance, an Australian firm that assisted with the event of the Australian delivery commonplace for livestock, whereas growing the draft doc of the usual.

Every level
of the draft doc was mentioned from starting to finish by a committee consisting of producers, consumers, ostrich scientists, researchers and technical consultants, animal welfare and environmental administration consultants, consultants within the writing of requirements and assessing conformity, regulators, and non-governmental organisations.

Everybody on the committee had the chance to boost considerations, current proposals and argue their opinion. The doc was then tailored to replicate the consensus opinion.

What would you say is on the coronary heart of the Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace?
The usual is constructed on the 5 animal freedoms regarded internationally because the gold commonplace of animal welfare. In keeping with these, animals ought to be freed from starvation and thirst; discomfort; ache, damage or illness; and worry and misery. They need to even be free to specific their regular behaviour.

Within the case of the Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace, these freedoms are measured in opposition to scientific, animal-centred components corresponding to well being and indicators of stress, and never subjective notion of what or how the birds would possibly ‘really feel’ about one thing. Useful resource-based parameters are fast, straightforward and dependable, however good administration and assets don’t at all times end in good animal welfare.

What have been a number of the contentious points?
After we began engaged on the usual, consumers have been after fastened standards, which weren’t at all times sensible. For instance, they needed water troughs that would accommodate 50 ostriches at a time, though the birds don’t all drink water concurrently.

In addition they needed designated mud baths, regardless of some camps having giant areas appropriate for mud baths, which the birds can use at their leisure.

Consumers, in flip, needed to get used to the concept that some farmers defend their birds from predators by preserving them in safe camps at night time at a excessive stocking density.

Was there something attention-grabbing that you just learnt from the expertise?
The rule through the negotiations was that all the pieces needed to be backed by science and analysis. For instance, within the absence of scientific proof that ostriches didn’t expertise stress in a specific scenario, analysis needed to be carried out to fill this hole, or the wording of this level needed to be modified to replicate this actuality and methods to alleviate this stress.

How does certification work?
The Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace consists of necessities based mostly on present scientific data and appropriate husbandry practices developed over a few years. It additionally consists of the precept of continuous enchancment, recognising that methods used to evaluate animal welfare are consistently growing and being improved. Future editions will due to this fact take new analysis and expertise under consideration.

The certification course of isn’t a box-ticking train; producers are given flexibility to decide on the best way to conform to the usual. The usual may be used along with extra particular necessities prescribed by regulators or provide chains.

Who carries out the audits?
So as to add credibility, we issued a young to assist us establish an impartial firm to audit the manufacturing amenities in opposition to the usual. NSF, considered one of three candidates that had a world footprint, received the tender. Their certified auditors additionally demonstrated acceptable utilized agricultural experience and expertise.

Following an audit, NSF informs the South African Ostrich Enterprise Chamber (SAOBC) whether or not a producer has handed the audit or whether or not there are findings that have to be improved to allow certification.

How typically are the audits carried out?
We agreed that this shouldn’t be became an annual train, and that producers ought to moderately be given the chance to show themselves. As soon as they’d carried out this, they might have to be audited solely each second 12 months. Then again, those that didn’t comply could be audited each six months till they complied. Abattoirs, sadly, have to be audited yearly because of the nature of their enterprise.

What are the prices concerned?
Hermès paid the consultants through the improvement of the Ostrich Manufacturing Commonplace and partially contributed to the certification prices of farmers through the first 12 months. Yvette Lötter of the SAOBC helps farmers put together their paperwork, performs a desktop audit, and solely then traces up audits. Farmers have been carrying the associated fee themselves as from this 12 months.

What number of farms have been concerned within the first audit?
We aimed to get a 3rd of our farms audited within the first 12 months and one other third by the second 12 months, however Lötter managed to get 85% of the 343 farms on our books audited within the first 12 months. This represents 95% of all of the ostriches slaughtered within the 2021/22 season.

Do farmers recognise the worth of the usual?
Some would possibly really feel that it’s a ineffective train, as compliance doesn’t yield any premiums or rewards. The reality, nonetheless, is that buyers have gotten more and more conscious of animal welfare and environmentally accountable manufacturing, so failure to conform might end in misplaced markets. We need to contribute actively and be leaders in well-being and environmental safety.

That stated, there wasn’t resistance to the usual, as many ostrich farmers already understood the [principles of the process] from the outdated code launched in 2012. Their publicity to a strict regulatory surroundings on traceability, meals security and well being standing was a stepping stone to animal welfare and well-being compliance.

Is it as intense as a GlobalGAP audit?
No, we needed to create an surroundings that allows farmers to adjust to the least administrative effort. The SAOBC helps farmers via coaching, and Lötter, for instance, prepares producers nicely upfront to make sure they’re prepared for an audit.

The farmers perform an inside audit and submit their paperwork to Lötter, who then does a desktop audit throughout which she identifies gaps or points that have to be addressed. She would possibly, for instance, advise farmers to elaborate extra on sure factors or acquire further documentation as proof of assertations.

Whereas the audit does require a number of administration, this isn’t new to our farmers, because it builds on the practices required whereas we nonetheless used the Code of Follow and is an important a part of record-keeping. The trick is to get the administration so as and hold it updated from then on.

We’ve discovered that the majority ostrich farmers observe sound welfare practices and environmentally accountable manufacturing strategies. These not complying initially normally fail due to poor paperwork or documentation, which is quickly corrected.

E mail Dr Adriaan Olivier at [email protected].



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