NEW CODE REQUIREMENTS WILL RESHAPE CANADA’S DAIRY BARNS

By Chris McCullough

COW COMFORT WAS TOP OF MIND when Eric and Courtney Veldhuizen built a new freestall barn in 2022.

The Velstar Dairy Inc. owners run two farms in Ontario – one at Mossley and one at Tillsonburg – milking 75 cows at each location.

With a freestall barn already in operation at Tillsonburg, the Veldhuizens replaced an 80-stall tiestall barn built in the 90s with a new freestall unit designed for the future at their Mossley location.

“We had converted a hay shed to dry cow and heifer housing in 2018 to give cows increased freedom of movement in the dry period, however, we were maxing out our tiestall,” Eric says. “We were able to get decent production year-round in our tiestall but with our quota holdings growing, it was becoming difficult to fill quota and incentive days.

“In addition, no matter how good your tiestall is, it can’t mimic the everyday freedoms a cow would do if she had the choice. So we started building our new barn in early 2022 with cow comfort in mind.”

With 180 stalls, the new robotic freestall dairy barn currently operates two Lely robots but is built to expand to four.

“The new barn also holds all the dry cows from both farms – currently 25 – and all pregnant heifers.”

The couple is now ahead of the game when it comes to complying with new code requirements from the latest Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle set to take effect April 1, 2024. The updated code replaces its predecessor developed in 2009. When building the new barn, the Veldhuizens had already embraced many of the new requirements set out in the latest code.

“We built the new barn to give our cows their maximum freedom,” Eric says. “We really wanted to give the best air quality, so the barn is built on higher elevation with plenty of fans and a sprinkler system for summer cooling.

“We were very sure we wanted free flow robots so cows could truly come and go, getting milked as they wanted. We strategically placed tip water troughs at all crossovers and have large crossovers in front of the robots.”

More freedom of movement for cows is just one of the design requirements, along with social contact for calves, that will shape new dairy barns of the future in Canada.

These examples come into effect in one year, unless indicated otherwise in the “requirements” with a later phase-in date.

The new code also contains “recommendations” which are good advice to help enhance a farm’s focus on animal welfare.

"Canadian dairy farmers already follow some of the most stringent standards in the world, and the new Code of Practice will help them continue to provide the best in animal care while staying consistent with our industry’s history of continuous improvement,” Pierre Lampron, President of Dairy Farmers of Canada, said in a statement. "This commitment to quality and care means dairy farmers are always looking to stay ahead of the curve and improve their practices, reflecting the most recent science on the welfare of their animals.”

Back at the new Veldhuizen barn, a six-row freestall with sand bedding and perimeter feed maximizes feed intake and gives the utmost comfort for increased lying time.

“The biggest advantage of our new barn is probably the greater space for our dry cows and decreasing pen moves at this more stressful period of a cow’s life.

“A cow now moves into the new barn at 12 months of age and can live out her life in the comfort of the new barn with lots of space, away from the elements, able to milk as she chooses and can see water and feed at every angle,” he says.

Main Housing Updates

Other new requirements for cow housing within the latest code include a ban on electrified crowd gates, plus, effective from April 1, 2027, cows must not be tethered continuously throughout their entire production cycle, calving to calving.

Newly built barns must allow daily, untethered freedom of movement and social interactions year-round.

Other requirements involve calving areas, and, effective April 1, 2029, cattle on all farms, including existing barns and for those being built, must calve in loose housed maternity pens, yards, or pastures.

Calving areas, whether for group or individual calving, must provide the cow and calf an area that is clean, safe, separated from the lactating herd, and that provides enough space for the cow to be assisted.

There are also some interesting developments surrounding cow space coming in the future. Existing requirement insists that stocking density in barns must not exceed 1.2 cows per stall in freestall systems.

Then, effective April 1, 2027, the stocking density must not exceed 1.1 cows per stall. And later, effective April 1, 2031, the stocking density must not normally exceed one cow per stall. This gradual progression allows some farmers time to make plans to either reduce number of cows or extend stall numbers.

Calf Housing

One of the other big requirements involves calf housing where the code says calves must not be tethered in indoor housing and if outdoors, can only be tethered via a collar in a calf hutch with access to an area outside the hutch.

Producers raising calves individually must develop a plan to transition to pair or group housing methods, in consultation with a veterinarian or other qualified advisor.

Effective April 1, 2031, calves that are healthy, thriving, and compatible, must be housed in pairs or groups by four weeks of age.

Producer Advice

“The NFACC Code development committee brought together a diverse group of stakeholders whose job was to review scientific research and come up with science-based attainable requirements, which improve the welfare of farm animals,” says Steve Runnalls, Dairy Farmers of Ontario board member and code committee representative.

He says many producers already meet the new code requirements so will have no changes to make, however, some producers may need to make some investments.

“Producers always hold the health and welfare of their animals to the highest standards. These changes also help build public trust and mean that farm practices keep pace with societal expectations and based on science.”

For a summary of what’s new and what’s changing, visit https://dairyfarmersofcanada.ca/sites/default/files/20233/ Comparison%20between%202023%20and%202009%20 versions.pdf

PREPARING FARM BUILDINGS FOR SNOW, WIND AND EARTHQUAKES

New farm buildings will soon need to comply with the latest edition of the National Building Code of Canada (NBC 2020).

This excludes those farm buildings under 6,458 square-feet that will be permitted to continue to meet the requirements of the existing code (NFBCC 1995).

Larger farm buildings will now fall under the same code as other regular buildings.

Some of the major new changes state new farm buildings in some areas of the country will need to be designed to resist larger loads of snow.

Another climatic issue is wind. New barns must be able to withstand winds with pressure referenced as once in 50 years instead of once in 10 years.

Resulting wind loads from this change are roughly 30 per cent larger, meaning bracing assemblies will need to be sized to resist the increased loads.

New farm buildings must also be earthquake-proof, depending on the region they are built in. In the previous code (NFBCC 1995), farm buildings were not required to be designed to resist loads due to earthquakes. Not all, but certain new farm buildings will need to consider these loads to comply with the NBC 2020.

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