Training
The Responsibility to Train
The Recommended Code Of Practice For The Care And Handling Of Farm Animals Beef Cattle (#1870/E, an industry accepted Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada document) states the following:17.8 - Education Of Personnel
17.8.1 Employers have an obligation to train employees properly on humane handling, equipment use and livestock care and to ensure that employees follow those principles at all times.
Q. Why should the company set up a costly and time consuming training program for something that is obviously common sense?
A. The feedlot company cannot expect entry-level employees to automatically adopt complex company protocols and policies specific to the particular feedlot. It is only fair to allow the entry-level employee a chance to uptake the valuable information supplied to the feedlot company by industry
In addition, if the feedlot company was charged with a federal Health of Animals Act infraction that was the direct result of an untrained employee's action it would become a pivotal legal defense component if the feedlot company could prove the employee had previously taken part in an industry recognized training program and therefore acted without the endorsement of the company.
Setting Up an In-house Training Session
A training program that would satisfy the needs of the CCA Animal Care project could be easily accomplished in-house by simply calling a meeting of all supervisors and employees that are involved in the daily cattle and horse handling activities of the feedlot. Management could then discuss the parameters of the following documents:- Acceptable Animal Care Protocol for Feedlots in Canada
- Company Animal Care Policy
- Company Animal Health Policy
- Company Emergency Slaughter Policy
- Company Euthanasia Policy
Related Material
The CCA’s Quality Starts Here (QSH) program offers the booklet Recommended Operating Procedures for Feedlot Animal Health, available at no charge. Call (403) 275-8558 to order.
