In-barn hatching – soon to be covered under OFFSP and ACP

In-barn hatching is an emerging practice that will soon be covered by the Raised by a Canadian Farmer On-Farm Food Safety and Animal Care programs, as it is no longer covered by CFIA since the implementation of the new Hatchery Regulations (November 2023).

Chicken Farmers of Canada is in the process of developing an addendum to the current OFFSP and ACP that will address the necessary food safety and animal care considerations for in-barn hatching. The addendum includes specific elements on training, egg handling and monitoring, biosecurity, the hatching process, chick handling, cleaning and disinfection, and euthanasia.

To develop the new requirements, two rounds of stakeholder consultations took place, seeking feedback from all provincial boards, the Canadian Hatchery Federation, the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers, and the Canadian Poultry and Egg Processors. While the requirements are focused on the food safety and animal care elements, the consultations identified additional overarching issues such as transfer of care, pricing, and data reporting that are out of scope for the programs and are elements that will need to be considered as business operations between farmers and hatcheries.

The addendum will be reviewed by CFIA for the food safety aspects and by the National Farm Animal Care Council for the animal care aspects, with the goal for implementation in early 2025. Any farmers considering implementing in-barn hatching must notify their provincial board of their intent.