Quality assurance is no longer optional in agriculture. It’s the sector’s response to rising expectations around animal welfare, transparency, and accountability. The question is no longer just how practices are managed on farm, but how they are demonstrated, verified, and trusted across the supply chain.

Our work in this space didn’t start with a product or a service line. It started with a question: What does the global landscape of animal welfare assurance actually look like, and how does Canada compare?

To answer that, we conducted a comprehensive review of international programs, policies, and frameworks, specifically looking to understand what’s out there when it comes to QA initiatives surrounding agricultural animal welfare. What emerged was not just a clearer picture of the global landscape but a realization that much of the work we were already doing was connected to a broader, more integrated assurance system. Today, that work includes training on-farm evaluators, supporting the development and refinement of standards, and analyzing program data to inform decisions and drive improvement. These are not isolated services; they are connected components of how modern assurance systems function.

This insight ultimately inspired the creation of ACER Assurance, a core division of ACER that reflects both the work we are already doing and where we see the industry going. Our focus is straightforward: support the development of credible, science-based programs; strengthen how they are implemented and assessed on farm; and use data to inform continuous improvement and demonstrate impact. This matters because assurance only works if it connects policy to practice. It has to be grounded in science but also recognize the realities of on-farm decision-making. That intersection is where meaningful progress happens.

The QA Quarterly Report is an extension of that work and an opportunity to share what we’re seeing across the assurance landscape, highlight practical resources, and provide our perspective on where QA is heading. If you work in this space, you already know the pressure is increasing. The goal here is to help make sense of it and move it forward.

The Codes of Practice serve as our national understanding of animal care requirements and recommended practices in Canada. On a global stage, the Codes provide credibility to Canada’s animal agricultural landscape and demonstrate that we are committed to upholding strong standards for animal welfare.

Evaluating animal welfare is a key part of many QA programs, and there are a few different ways to approach it. Assessments can look at records, the animal’s environment, or the animal itself, each offering a different perspective on how things are going on-farm. Animal-based measures, like locomotion scoring or body condition, are especially valuable because they reflect the animal’s lived experience and show how management practices are playing out in real time. For that reason, many QA programs place a strong emphasis on animal-based observations, using them alongside other information to build a more complete picture of welfare.