Humane Choice True Free Range is a whole of farm accreditation system for Australian and New Zealand true free range, pasture raised pork, beef, lamb, chicken and egg producers.
There is a growing movement of back to basics farmers that want to produce food, not just a commodity. They want to embrace community, old fashioned human values and farm their livestock and land with respect. Humane Choice is an advocate for these producers and provides the accreditation system they need to promote confidence in their product to consumers seeking the same thing. Humane Choice will help make it happen.
With the recent publicity on free range produce and humane food labelling claims, this important initiative could not be more timely. The Humane Choice label will initially cover free range pastured beef, pork, lamb, chicken and eggs and will guarantee the consumer that the animal has been treated with respect and care, from birth through to death. This philosophy can be
applied to the entire farm with these shared values for all farm animal in the Humane Choice accreditation program.
The Humane Choice True Free Range label will denote the animal has had the best life and death offered to any farm animal. They basically live their lives as they would have done on Old McDonald’s farm, *born and raised on pastures and being allowed to satisfy their behavioural needs, to forage and move untethered and uncaged, with free access to outside areas from birth, shade when it’s hot, shelter when it’s cold, with a good diet and a humane death.
Procedures such as mulesing, nose ringing, tail docking, beak trimming or any form of mutilation will not be allowed. Weaning of animals shall enable the natural process of animal rearing to occur, sows will not be kept confined in stalls or crates and transportation shall be kept to a minimum.
Humane Society International will administer this label and employ RABQSA registered auditors to assess producers who wish to become Humane Choice true free range accredited through our approved farming accreditation process.
To stop confusion over labelling of free range produce and humane food, we want to take the guesswork out of consumer decision making where animal welfare standards are concerned. There is only one ‘Humane Choice True Free Range’ so there is no variation in standards and consumers can have full confidence in the integrity of the product.
To have your farm approved under our farming scheme,click here for more info
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Pigs, sheep and cattle will spend their entire lives, from birth to slaughter, with free access to the outdoors. Poultry will have free access once sufficiently feathered.
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