Animal Welfare Certification for Aurora Organic Dairy

Organic dairy leader is first and only organic dairy in nation to qualify for certification. Dairy Animal Welfare Review is the only dairy USDA Process Verified animal welfare program.

20/07/06 Aurora Organic Dairy (AOD), the nation's leading producer-processor of private-label organic milk and butter, recently completed the rigorous Animal Welfare Review certification process from Validus Services (Validus). Aurora Organic Dairy, to date, is the only organic dairy in the nation to achieve this recognized animal welfare certification.

The independent third-party certification agency, Validus, Urbandale, Iowa, awarded the Animal Welfare Review certification to AOD's Colorado farm in June, after the organic dairy company undertook a voluntary, detailed assessment and audit of its practices. Further, AOD's Texas organic dairy has completed the assessment step in the certification process and now is undergoing the audit procedures to qualify for the Animal Welfare Review certification at AOD's second organic dairy. Additionally, all future AOD organic dairy farms will undergo Animal Welfare Review certification.

According to Dr. Juan Velez, vice president of farm operations for AOD, adopting a set of measurable indicators related to animal welfare, and then monitoring them both on-farm and with the oversight of third-party certification, provide the best assurance for both the organic industry and consumers that organic farms are upholding excellent animal well-being standards. "As animal-care professionals, we know that a combination of important elements contribute to superior animal care, and those practices and criteria often are not apparent to the casual observer, so an official certification brings added assurance," Dr. Velez explains.

Additionally, Dr. Velez says that he aims to promote the importance of animal welfare to the entire organic dairy industry and will challenge large and small organic producers alike to adhere to stricter animal welfare standards. "I believe that animal welfare is critical to promoting environmental sustainability and to upholding organic standards," the large-animal veterinarian says. "We have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Organic Program to strengthen various, related standards."

Dairy Animal Welfare Review is the only dairy USDA Process Verified animal welfare program. The standards for Dairy Animal Welfare Review certification are stringent, established by an independent scientific committee of experts that regularly reviews and updates certification criteria to ensure the program meets industry expectations. Validus' Animal Welfare Review Scientific Committee consists of leading experts across the country and the program is annually reviewed by renowned animal welfare researcher Temple Grandin, Ph.D., associate professor of animal science at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, and author of numerous articles and books, including the New York Times bestseller Animals in Translation.

According to Earl Dotson, president and chief executive officer of Validus the Animal Welfare Review certification provides value to individuals and companies doing business with AOD. "Consumers, especially, want assurance that the products they purchase come from farms where the well-being of animals is a priority," he says.

In its 6-year history, Validus has completed more than 5,400 on-farm assessments for leading agriculture, retail and food service companies. The certification organization's trained nationwide network includes 170 trained assessors and auditors. Each auditor is trained in ISO 9001 standards. The International Standards Organization (ISO) is the recognized, worldwide federation of national standards bodies.

Implemented on-farm by Validus' auditors, the certification program requires that producers comply with criteria established for comprehensive animal welfare. Areas covered by specific criteria include animal well-being and management; herd health procedures and care; nutrition and water quality standards; farm environment (both animal comfort and cleanliness); and biosecurity procedures. Validus will conduct follow-up audits on an annual basis to ensure the dairy remains in compliance with animal welfare criteria.