DENVER (March 17, 2009) – The American Humane Certified™ farm animal welfare program is appalled at the incidents of abuse shown last night on HBO’s “Death on a Factory Farm” documentary.

To avoid similar abusive situations for other farm animals, American Humane Certified continues to enlist more and more food producers in its humane monitoring and labeling program, which was the first in the United States and is, by far, the fastest growing and most comprehensive.  The program is science-based and solutions-oriented, and American Humane works cooperatively with industry to arrive at humane, compassionate methods and practices for food-animal growing and production.

“The HBO documentary, while depicting grossly appalling treatment of animals, makes the tremendously valid point that American consumers will not stand for animal abuse or cruelty, even if those animals are destined for the food supply,” said Tim Amlaw, director of American Humane Certified.  “The food industry realizes it must improve its welfare practices through programs such as ours, or potentially face more punitive legislation and regulations, and expensive government mandates.”

American Humane Certified offers a three-tiered audit program called True Humane Tracking™ that provides food producers with the highest level of accountability and transparency from this independent, third-party auditing process.  “Producers who embrace humane care are finding real market advantages and increased margins over those who do not,” Amlaw added.  “Farm animal welfare is quickly becoming a key piece of sustainable farming and production practices.”

American Humane Certified recently announced yet another industry innovation – its online Humane Care Training Program for food producers to use in educating employees, growers and contractors who handle animals. The training complements and expands American Humane Certified’s national program of auditing and certifying the humane handling of animals raised for food. For producers, retailers and foodservice companies, the training will illustrate a significant, socially responsible undertaking, especially as they require their employees and independent suppliers and growers to be trained in humane care and animal welfare standards.

The True Humane Tracking program provided by American Humane Certified includes comprehensive annual on-site audits, ongoing audit updates and monitoring through online compliance resources and state-of-the-art, web-based independent video feeds that provide 24/7 real-time monitoring that includes instant alerts to issues so corrective action can be taken immediately.

What has been lacking in the past for producers are comprehensive tools to develop and assure humane practices in their operations. It is the mission of American Humane Certified to provide the necessary tools and resources to implement best practices in the humane care of farm animals, as well as to certify their implementation.

About American Humane Certified

American Humane Certified is a program of the American Humane Association, which was established in 1877 to prevent cruelty, abuse and neglect of children and animals. American Humane Certified, established in 2000, was the United States’ first animal-welfare program dedicated to the humane treatment of farm animals. It is the fastest growing independent animal-welfare label program in the U.S. American Humane has certified producers representing more than 50 million farm animals through American Humane’s science-based program. American Humane auditors are rigorously trained in the American Humane Certified species-specific standards and are certified by the Professional Animal Auditors Certification Organization (PAACO). As consumers and retailers are increasingly concerned about how food is raised, producers are seeking independent verification for the marketplace. American Humane Certified believes animal welfare should not only be good for animals but also economically viable and feasible for producers. American Humane Certified works with agriculture to educate and motivate producers and demonstrate the economic and social benefits of animal welfare. American Humane Certified works closely with its independent Scientific Advisory Committee, industry professionals and producers to ensure that industry advancements and best practices are part of American Humane certification standards. Based on American Humane’s 131-year legacy of creating the gold standard for humane values and practices, consumers trust the American Humane Certified label. Learn more at www.thehumanetouch.org.