American Wool Assurance certification
Woolhalla Tunis recently completed Level I certification of the American Wool Assurance and Sheep Safety Quality Assurance programs as developed by the American Sheep Industry and Colorado State University. You can read more about these programs here. By participating in these programs, producers certify that their sheep are treated in certain humane ways, and that the wool is sheared and collected under certain high standards including close biosecurity.
Completing Level 1 in the program certifies that we follow these standards:
The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, which insures that certified animals have appropriate space, lighting, air quality, food, and water. These Five Freedoms are globally recognized as the gold standard in animal welfare, encompassing both the mental and physical well-being of animals. They include:
Shearing and wool management. We can now independently certify that the wool from our farm is locally grown and collected under humane conditions. Certified sheep are never mulesed, and shearers are instructed to be especially attentive to animal welfare before, during, and after shearing. Before shearing, sheep are penned with enough space to move around while they are waiting to be sheared. Shearers pledge to use a correct shearing pattern, which minimizes stress on the sheep, and the sheep are not sheared in a 30-day window either side of giving birth. After shearing, the sheep have immediate free access to food, water, and shelter if needed.
We are pleased to have completed the first of three program levels, and so have independent certification for the humane livestock conditions we embrace.
Completing Level 1 in the program certifies that we follow these standards:
The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare, which insures that certified animals have appropriate space, lighting, air quality, food, and water. These Five Freedoms are globally recognized as the gold standard in animal welfare, encompassing both the mental and physical well-being of animals. They include:
- freedom from hunger and thirst
- freedom from discomfort
- freedom from pain, injury, and disease
- freedom to express normal and natural behavior (eg, accommodating chickens roosting and sheep flocking)
- freedom from fear and distress
Shearing and wool management. We can now independently certify that the wool from our farm is locally grown and collected under humane conditions. Certified sheep are never mulesed, and shearers are instructed to be especially attentive to animal welfare before, during, and after shearing. Before shearing, sheep are penned with enough space to move around while they are waiting to be sheared. Shearers pledge to use a correct shearing pattern, which minimizes stress on the sheep, and the sheep are not sheared in a 30-day window either side of giving birth. After shearing, the sheep have immediate free access to food, water, and shelter if needed.
We are pleased to have completed the first of three program levels, and so have independent certification for the humane livestock conditions we embrace.