Food Safety & Animal Welfare

Alberta Hatching Egg Producers is committed to upholding strong food safety, biosecurity, and animal welfare practices across the hatching egg sector. These programs support animal health, flock well-being, and public confidence in Canada’s food system.

This page provides access to required programs, standards, and resources that support on-farm practices, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. Producers are responsible for understanding and meeting applicable program requirements.

Canadian Hatching Egg Quality (CHEQ™)

The Canadian Hatching Egg Quality (CHEQ™) program is the national standard for hatching egg producers when it comes to on-farm food safety. A comprehensive set of good production practices and record keeping, CHEQ™ guarantees that all eggs produced and distributed by Canadian hatching egg farmers are of exceptional quality.

CHEP Animal Care Program (ACP)

The Animal Care Program (ACP) is a mandatory, auditable on-farm animal welfare assessment for Canadian broiler hatching egg producers. It verifies producers are meeting animal care standards for housing, space, water, feed, lighting, air quality, handling and other key welfare areas, and supports continuous improvement in bird care.

Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Hatching Eggs, Breeders, Chickens, and Turkeys (2016)

National, science- and consensus-based guidelines developed through the National Farm Animal Care Council that set out recommended and required practices for the care, housing, handling, and transportation of hatching eggs, breeders, chickens, and turkeys in Canada.

Biosecurity

Biosecurity refers to the everyday practices used on poultry farms to protect birds from disease. These measures help keep animals healthy, support responsible animal care, and protect the safety and reliability of Canada’s food system.

Alberta Poultry Industry Emergency Management Team - APIEMT

APIEMT is a proactive, collaborative organization uniting Alberta’s four major poultry groups to help farmers prepare for, mitigate, and respond to incidents (like avian influenza outbreaks) that threaten flocks or the industr