SPCA supports farming practices that allow animals access to the outdoors, provided they are able to maintain comfort through access to shade and shelter. There should be enough shade and shelter for all animals in the paddock, and it should protect animals from the elements such as extreme temperatures, solar radiation, and inclement weather including rain, wind, hail, and snow. Shade and shelter is required not just for maintaining a comfortable temperature, but also for allowing normal behaviour, including shade-seeking, hiding, and maternal and social behaviour.

SPCA advocates for clear, enforceable standards that require shade and shelter for farmed animals. Our organisation considers that wording that requires vague concepts such as “the means to minimise heat stress” does not go far enough and does not meet the purposes of the Animal Welfare Act 1999.