Farm and Food Care will develop training materials, deliver courses and help farmers implement new practices under the two-year program. Codes of Practice — nationally developed guidelines for animal care and handling — were recently updated for beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, farmed fox and mink. Codes of Practice for chickens, turkeys and breeders, as well as for poultry-layers, are soon to be released.

"Making an impact on the lives of animals on the farm takes knowledge, resources and experience, and this program will provide all of these in a way that will let farmers and their animals benefit on a day to day basis," said Mike Petrik, program lead, Farm and Food Care. "All farmers and others who work with livestock have the desire to care for their animals in the best way possible, and this program will give them a valuable tool to continue to improve in this priority."