NATIONAL FEDERAL ANIMAL WELFARE GUIDELINES are the legal guidelines which every grower in Australia has to meet. These Guidelines may be captured in legislation on a state by state basis – most states do, some states modify them slightly. Importantly, the RSPCA, ACMF and other key groups sit on the panel which develops the National Federal Guidelines. They are the ONLY standards endorsed by all key groups in Australia, including governments.
(The RSPCA also has separate that you have to meet if you are going to produce RSPCA Certified chicken or turkey. Anything beyond the National Federal Guidelines is marketing puffery for the monetary benefit of RSPCA and the supermarkets, since there is no evidence from the 16 years of the scheme that animal welfare benefits beyond that in the current National Guidelines.)
The new National Guidelines are being adopted into state legislation in 2025. There are a few changes that you MUST know about and MUST adhere to. These are listed below.
The National Guidelines are divided into two levels: the things you MUST do, and the things you CAN do if you wish. Notably many of the can-do items tend to become “must-do” in the future so if you are planning new shedding it’s worth thinking about the “can-do” items.
The new “MUST” items are listed as follows:
BY 1 JULY 2025:
SA 3.7 …a person in charge must ensure firefighting equipment is available and maintained for all indoor housing systems.
SA 4.8 …a person in charge of poultry (excluding caged layer hens in commercial production) must provide reasonable access to appropriate substrate for pecking, foraging and scratching.
SA 5.3 …a person in charge of poultry kept in housing with access to an outdoor area must encourage use of the outdoor range by providing:
- access to appropriately located shade and shelter from predators
- opportunities to perform foraging and scratching behaviours
- reasonable number and size of access points.
SA 6.2 …a person in charge must ensure that the light intensity during light periods for young poultry for the first 3 days after hatching is at least 20 lux at bird level.
SA 6.3 …a person in charge must ensure that the light intensity for poultry is at least 10 lux at bird level during light periods, except under veterinary supervision to control an outbreak of pecking and/or cannibalism for a limited period.
SA 6.5 …a person in charge must ensure poultry are provided a minimum total of at least 6 hours of darkness within a 24-hour period with at least one uninterrupted period of darkness of at least 4 hours, except:
- birds up to 7 days of age
- to prevent huddling or clumping behaviours during very hot weather
- poultry on the day of pick-up
- laying and breeder birds up to 16 weeks of age
- during a disease outbreak under veterinary supervision.
SA 7.3 …a person in charge of poultry in sheds used for commercial production must monitor ammonia levels and ensure immediate corrective action is taken if ammonia levels exceed 15 ppm at bird level in sheds.
By 1 July 2032
SA 5.6 …a person in charge must ensure that poultry, other than ratites, are able to be confined to manage welfare risks to birds in the outdoor area. Confinement must comply with housing standards in A4 Facilities and equipment, as well as stocking densities for the relevant species.
You should read and understand the whole guideline and do a compliance check against ALL the elements. The Guidelines can be found HERE
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