Animal Welfare Technician

Maple Lodge Farms, Canada’s largest and most trusted chicken provider is looking for a **Animal Welfare Technician**

Interested in joining Canada’s largest poultry processor? At Maple Lodge Farms, we’re not only passionate about our chickens, but our people, too. We operate to the latest in technological, health and safety, and quality standards. With rapid expansion over the years, and continued innovation and investment in growth, we’re looking for committed, team players to join the Maple Lodge family. As a proudly family-owned Canadian company, we’re passionate about what we do. If you’re a committed team player, we would love to have you as part of our Animal Welfare team.

**What you will get to do**:

- Perform data collection necessary for maintaining halal certification, including CO2 level in the stunner, assessment of heart rate, and bird sensibility checks. Complete necessary reports and update AW, Operations and Halal teams on results.
- Maintain and ensure compliance with AW Program on the production floor (live receiving and slaughter areas), reporting any issues to AW Supervisor and Operations personnel, so that necessary adjustments can be made to the process.
- Monitor unloading process in Live Receiving, bird handling and hanging process, dead birds on arrival (DOAs) evaluation and disposal.
- Monitor mod, and dolly condition and verify all birds are removed from containers before container washing process
- Monitor the stunning process, recording CO2 level in the stunner and bird sensibility checks.
- Monitor the slaughter process, verifying the effectiveness of the automatic knife and backup cutters.
- Perform post-slaughter quality checks, identifying and recording bruises, hematomas, and broken bones in carcasses
- Monitor chicken foot health, assessing and recording as per the American Association of Avian Pathologists (AAAP) Paw Scoring System.
- Responsible for monitoring and maintaining animal welfare in internal holding facilities (lairage) from the time live birds are received, through to their transfer to the stunner.
- Monitor and record bird condition on a scheduled basis, identifying potential signs of stress on birds
- Report issues with live loads to Live Haul Dispatch and ensures that stressed loads are prioritized in slaughter sequence
- Record on-floor deviations potentially caused on-farm or during transport that impact animal welfare on AW Special Case Log. Communicate with AW Technician Lead for follow-up with relevant parties.
- Act as a backup to the AW Monitor for various AW and FAD tasks, including monitoring and maintaining animal welfare in external holding facilities (yard), monitoring, and recording bird condition, identifying potential signs of stress on birds, report issues with live loads to Live Haul Dispatch, and managing of equipment and environment,
- Participate and assist in Third Party Animal Welfare Audits and FAD Simulations, as required.
- Liaise with CFIA inspection staff during CFIA inspection and/or investigation.
- Provide information and possible solutions that will help management to identify issues and work towards future improvements related the AW program.
- Follow all relevant departmental policies, processes, standard operating procedures, and instructions so that work is carried out in a controlled and consistent manner.
- Provide information and possible solutions that will help management to identify issues and work towards future improvements related the AW program.
- Follow all relevant departmental policies, processes, standard operating procedures, and instructions so that work is carried out in a controlled and consistent manner.

**Your education & experience matters to us**:

- High School Diploma required.
- PAACO certification is an asset.
- Must have strong tolerance of a farm environment (scents, animal feces, muck, blood, etc)
- Previous work experience working with livestock is considered an asset
- Flexibility in shift coverage is essential
- Good learning abilities, hands-on technical orientation and highly motivated
- Good interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills
- Computer literacy (Word, Excel, Outlook)
- Knowledge of the Health of Animals Act and CFIA humane poultry handling procedures is an asset
- Working knowledge of Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA), WHMIS, etc.

**Culture & work environment**:

- This position is Plant Based working with a great team

**Shift**:3 AM - 11:30 AM

**Accessibility statement**:
**In accordance with Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process. Applicants are required to make their needs known in advance.**

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**REQUIREMENTS**:
In the 1830s, the May family began raising chickens on a farm outside what is now Brampton, Ontario. They became a pillar of the community, and their proud tradition of hard work, agricultural wisdom, and humble fam