California Ag Network

Tag: Animal Welfare

  • DCHA Updates its ‘Gold Standards’

    During the 2026 Dairy Calf & Heifer Association (DCHA) Conference and Trade Show in New Prague, Minn., DCHA revealed its revised Gold Standards — the industry benchmarks and best management practices for raising dairy calves and heifers and beef x dairy animals. The overarching goal of DCHA’s Gold Standards is to improve the health and welfare of youngstock, allowing them to achieve their genetic potential, while helping producers improve the profitability and sustainability of their businesses.

    “The Gold Standards have been developed using published data and input from DCHA leaders and advisers,” stated DCHA President Kendall Wassenaar, Orange City, Iowa. “While individual herd goals, current level of attainment and geography may vary, the Gold Standards are meant to provide a framework for successful dairy replacement and beef x dairy raising. Dairy calf, beef x dairy and heifer raisers should use this information to identify areas for improvement, conduct training and implement plans that support the performance targets they want to attain.”

    A comprehensive document which includes charts and graphs, the DCHA Gold Standards book integrates all pre-lactation ages into one document. It features performance and production standards — with animal welfare and best management strategies as the top priorities. Performance standards are the objective measures used to evaluate performance. Production standards are the recommended practices that enable achievement of performance goals. Industry-based research supports these standards.

    “The DCHA Gold Standards strive to reflect positively on the dairy/beef x dairy industry and present a positive image to consumers,” Wassenaar added. Thus, the Gold Standards address newborn care, colostrum management, nutrition, health status, biosecurity, housing and environment, growth rate, reproduction and euthanasia.

    DCHA members have access to the Gold Standards. Those interested can go to to: https://calfandheifer.org/member/membership-benefits to discover membership benefits and to join.

  • UC Davis Settles Animal Welfare Citation

    Davis, Calif., (May 1, 2018) – The University of California, Davis, has agreed to pay a penalty of $5,000 to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to resolve a citation under the Animal Welfare Act.

    The July 2016 citation described a procedure on a rabbit that was to be euthanized before recovering from anesthesia. The rabbit died under anesthesia when a valve was inadvertently left closed. As a result, staff have been retrained and the valves replaced with valves that are open by default.

    In 2016, the Investigative and Enforcement Service of USDA had notified the university that it would conduct an investigation. UC Davis cooperated fully with the investigation process.

    In March 2018, USDA notified UC Davis that it had determined a penalty of $5,000 for the July 2016 citation. UC Davis has accepted this penalty.

    “While incidents like these are rare considering the scale of our research programs involving animals, each one is taken very seriously and investigated to prevent future occurrences,” said Cameron Carter, interim vice chancellor for Research at UC Davis. “Our expectation is to provide the best possible care to any animal in our charge, treating their safety and welfare as paramount, and our committed staff goes to great lengths to ensure this. Unfortunately, some mistakes happen, but we are quick to learn from them and take appropriate actions to further improve care.”

    Oversight of animal use is heavily regulated by multiple sources. All research studies at the university involving animals require review and approval by the campus’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee to ensure ethical and humane treatment. This committee includes public representatives as well as faculty and staff. The IACUC also inspects facilities conducting animal research every six months.

    UC Davis is accredited by the International Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, or AAALAC, an independent nonprofit organization. Application for the accreditation is voluntary and requires re-evaluation every three years. The university also conducted a comprehensive internal review of animal care on campus in 2017 in preparation of transitioning the program to the Office of Research. The report found no systemic shortcomings in the animal care program but made a number of recommendations to further strengthen the program.

    At the federal level, animal research is overseen by the Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service Animal Care Unit, and the National Institutes of Health Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare.

    More information regarding research involving animals can be found here.