2,022,030: That’s how many animals have been raised according to BC SPCA standards of care under the SPCA Certified label since 2002. This year, the BC SPCA welcomes new farms and products to the SPCA Certified program.

“Celista Springs Ranch in Shuswap and Egger's Farm in La Glace, Alberta included sheep in their SPCA certification earlier this year,” says Alyssa Bell Stoneman, SPCA Certified program supervisor. “The sheep standards address welfare issues such as improved pain management techniques and access to pasture. Under the program, all farms are subject to annual third-party inspections, plus random inspections.”

Happy Chick Farm, the first SPCA Certified farm on the Sunshine Coast, raises chickens, turkeys and laying hens for their local market. Lee Riggs, co-owner of Happy Chick Farm believes “every living animal deserves to have good food, fresh air and a great life. This includes the animals we choose to eat.”

Consumers in the Fraser Valley and throughout B.C. can add chicken from Sumas Mountain Farms and Bradner Farms to their shopping list. Similar to the turkey standard, the BC SPCA broiler (meat) chicken standard requires increased space, a flock health plan and eight hours of darkness every day so that the birds can rest.”

You can find a list of retailers and on-farm sales online that offer SPCA Certified products. SPCA Certified is a farm and food certification program that brings stakeholders together to further common goals in farm animal welfare. Third-party certified farmers build their market share by branding their products for consumers with the red barn logo and communicating their innovative practices to the public.

The Monty Fund for Community Education & Outreach supports the SPCA Certified program dedicated to improving farm animal welfare standards in Canada. Your gift can help millions of animals live a healthier, happier life. Please donate today.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.