THE BRITISH COLUMBIA SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
Our mission: To protect and enhance the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in B.C.
The SPCA Certified program welcomes all farms – large and small – interested in third-party farm animal welfare certification. Participation is voluntary.
Read on about the program to learn more about the program, including:
More than 70% of Canadians are willing to pay more for farm animal products that were certified to humane standards of care by a third-party organization. ~ 2009 Harris/Decima
Canadians will purchase certified humane and Canadian food products at a premium. ~ Alberta Meat and Livestock Agency, Dec. 2010
SPCA Brand
High brand trust with the Canadian public
National brand name recognition
More than 1 million supporters across Canada
SPCA Certified brancd accepted by major retailers in B.C. and Alberta; independent and local retailers throughout Canada
SPCA Certified red barn logo is CFIA reviewed and is the only Canadian animal welfare certification logo approved for use on food products and marketing materials in Canada
Build new market share
Meets growing consumer demand for animal welfare certified products
Clear, credible point of product differentiation
Current member farms – value that what the SPCA certification adds to their brand outweighs the cost of certification
Complements and adds additional value to existing marketing programs
Ahead of the game
Participate in an animal care and welfare program before it becomes a mandatory requirement of industry groups, processors or retailers
Premiums for the certified products in other countries but not in Canada as yet
Standards
Build on the Canadian farm animal Codes of Practice
Staff work closely with producers to ensure the commercial viability of the standards
Not difficult to implement
Staff assistance
Work and support farmers throughout the certification process
Assist farms building new barns to SPCA Certified standards
Connect farmers to retailers and restaurants, and BC SPCA supporters looking for SPCA Certified products
Promote SPCA Certified farms and products with both the SPCA community and the public
Certification process
Interested farms can email SPCA Certified for certification registration forms or call SPCA Certified program staff at (604) 681-7271 (or 1-800-665-1868 outside the Lower Mainland).
Once registration forms are complete, the SPCA Certified Administrator sends the paperwork to a contracted, independent Validator to visit the farm and assess compliance to SPCA Certified standards and operation policies.
During the farm visit, the Validator fills out a checklist and sends in the completed checklist and a report to the SPCA Certified Administrator.
The file is forwarded to an independent, expert Review Panel. It is the Review Panel that determines farm certification in the program.
The SPCA Certified Administrator sends a letter to the farm letting them know of the Assessment outcome.
"I will submit my report to the SPCA committee who will then review and assign certification or recommendations." Cheryl Laxton, Third party validator
Member farms pay an annual certification fee. Certification fees partially cover administration time, on-farm assessment and subsequent report, and the honorarium paid to the Review Panel. The annual fee includes the cost of random audits, conducted on 10 per cent of SPCA Certified member farms each year.
Group certification Groups interested in certification, but wishing to maintain current certification system or group economics, can apply to the SPCA Certified program as an internal control group, and carry out annual certification under the group certification process. Interested? Contact the SPCA Certified program for further details.
Marketing
Marketing and promotions highlight participating farms and the SPCA Certified program.
Activities include tradeshows, local events, program support materials (e.g. rack cards, retail shelf talkers) and media coverage.
The SPCA Certified program and its member farms are featured regularly in BC SPCA publications:
