Canadians are invited to provide feedback on proposed updates to the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines, with public consultations open until March 12. The National Farm Animal Care Council began revising the code in 2023, incorporating input from veterinary experts, animal welfare advocates, producers, and government officials. The draft includes new rules on housing, such as mandatory mud management plans and bedding depth, stricter air quality standards reducing allowable ammonia levels, and a requirement for a working relationship with a veterinarian or an alternative health care plan where vets are unavailable.

Additional changes prohibit punishment and the use of pain or fear in training horses, and ban selling unfit horses for slaughter as an alternative to euthanasia. The updated code aims to enhance equine welfare and is expected to be finalized and released in 2027. Canadians can review the draft and submit their opinions through an online survey.