In response to the development of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Specification (TS) 34700 -- Animal Welfare Management/General Requirements and Guidance for Organizations in the Food Supply Chain, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will offer interested industries or companies a means to have their animal welfare standards/program evaluated for conformance to the TS 34700.
The TS was developed after a number of years of industry involvement in an ISO-level working group. The TS applies to terrestrial animals bred or kept for the production of food or feed, and was developed to ensure that food producing animals are raised, transported, and processed humanely. The TS also establishes a strong framework for industry animal welfare standards and programs to be verified that they are rooted in science and can be widely accepted.
Organizations interested in this assessment service should review “USDA ISO TS 34700 Animal Welfare Assessment (pdf)."
Please contact Jeffrey Waite, Chief, Audit Services Branch, Quality Assessment Division; Livestock and Poultry Program, Agricultural Marketing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture by email Jeffrey.Waite@usda.gov or by phone at 202-309-1096 with comments or questions.
Official Listing: ISO TS 34700 Animal Welfare Program (pdf)
Additional Resources
- QAD 1000: QSVP General Policies and Procedures (pdf)
- QAD 1060: USDA ISO Technical Standard 34700 Animal Welfare Assessment Program (pdf)
- QAD 1060A: ISO TS Animal Welfare Management Checklist (pdf)
- QAD 1060C: Animal Welfare and Dairy Cattle Production Systems Checklist (pdf)
- December 1, 2016, International Standards Organization (ISO) News Release
- ISO TS 34700 Animal welfare management – General requirements and guidance for organizations in the food supply chain
- OIE TAHC website – links to animal welfare species-specific Chapters