Beef Cattle Code of Practice Open for Public Comment

Jan 09, 2013

Public Comment Period Last Step In Process of Updating Cattle Code

The Beef Cattle Code of Practice is in its final stage of a process to update the existing the code with the public comment period. The public comment period is open until March 8th.

The code of practice is a guide for all beef cattle producers to outline what are the best animal welfare practices for the care and handling for beef cattle.

The process of updating any code of practice is a fairly lengthy one, as it was first initiated in Sept. 2010 and since then has gone through a series of processes, including surveys to insure that the revised code will reflect the most up-to-date information on animal welfare standards for beef cattle. The revised code is scheduled to be released in June 2013.

The following is a list of the key priorities that will be covered in the Beef Cattle Code of Practice update:

These animal welfare topics address the best methods and age:

•Branding
•Castration
•Dehorning

This list covers points related to health and morbidity:

•Respiratory disease
•Lameness
•Diseases caused relating to nutrition i.e. acidosis, laminitis, liver abscesses etc.

Covers housing conditions and other environmental aspects:

•How mud-effect impacts health and welfare
•Defining what is the most ideal types of shelter
•Discussing extreme weather conditions impact on animal welfare

The last sections will cover points pertinent to best weaning strategies.

Here is some more info on how to participate in the public comment period: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NFACCbeefcode

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.