Animal Attraction Assured – Certification Scheme

Background

NFAN worked closely with the HSE and the Access to Farms partnership to develop the Industry Code of Practice which provides guidelines on how children and adults should interact with animals on farm parks. The advice contained in the COP has always been very practical and easy to understand and has provided valuable guidance to improving health & safety at farm parks.

You can download a copy of the Code of Practice and find other useful resources on the NFAN website here

In February 2018 NFAN launched the Animal Attraction Assured certification scheme. NFAN in conjunction with Kiwa Agri Food have developed this independently audited scheme to raise awareness of industry standards and to provide the industry with a robust structure for the implementation of the Code of Practice. ln addition to the Code of Practice, three sections have been added to cover animal welfare based on the five freedoms.

NFAN has contracted Kiwa Agri Food to carry out the annual inspections of NFAN members wanting to become certified. Kiwa Agri Foods is the trading name for the Agricultural Division of Kiwa Ltd.  Kiwa is a large company providing certification and testing services to a broad range of industries in the UK and abroad.

What is involved

Annual Inspection visit

An annual visit will take place at your convenience and should take between 2-3 hours depending on the size of your site. The visit will involve a site tour of the relevant areas and a document check. Once any issues have been rectified a certificate will be issued to show compliance with the scheme.

You can review the checklist used during the audit visit to conduct your own self-assessment and check you are ready for certification.

Download the AAA Certification Standards document

Benefits of Certification

Participation in the scheme…
• Will help businesses achieve a higher standard, therefore lowering risk of a disease outbreak on their farm and the associated emotional and financial impact this would have.
• Includes an audit visit. A ‘fresh pair of eyes’ coming into the business is often a valuable tool to ensure that standards are met.
• Can be used as a tool to help business owners / managers evaluate their own premises and management records.
• Participants passing the scheme will get a current certificate and a badge to use on their website/marketing material. It is hoped that as participation increases, public awareness of the scheme will grow and businesses participating in the scheme will be seen as ‘trusted’.
• Will demonstrate to insurers that the farm is well run and compliant with the COP. It is hoped that insurers will recognise compliance with the COP as a significant factor in reducing risk of a major outbreak and offer savings on insurance premiums*.

*Initial discussions with insurers indicate that reductions in premium for farm attractions that attain the Animal Attraction Assurance Scheme standard could easily offset the cost of participation. As an example, Catlin Insurance via Marsh & Co are quoting savings of around 7.5%. It is hoped that other insurers will also recognise the lower risk of AAA certified attractions, check with your insurer.

Costs and potential savings on Insurance Premiums

The table below indicates the costs and savings that could be made.

# Based on 7.5% discount on typical premiums through Catlin and Marsh & Co * Range – £350 – £500. ** Range – £500 – £1125.  *** Range – £1125 – £1500. **** Capped at £1500

Register your interest now

To register your interest contact Kiwa directly by emailing  uk.farm@kiwa.com or call Kiwa on 01423 878875.