Artificial insemination is not recommended but is not prohibited.

FOR POULTRY

• Artificial lighting for the purposes of supplying warmth for chick rearing is allowed.
• All birds shall have access to pastured areas during the substantial majority of daylight hours.
• Stocking and rotational management systems should be such as to maintain vegetation levels and to minimize parasite and disease problems.
• Rotation of stocking areas should be such as to ensure resting of pastures after each batch of poultry.
• As a guide, for egg production after each laying batch there should be 9 months of pasture resting.
• For meat birds there should be 2 months resting of pasture per year and one in every three years stocking areas should be utilized other than for poultry production.

FEED

For Livestock

• 100% shall come from certified organic sources and not in conversion feeds
• For the EU market for In Conversion livestock, In Conversion feed stuffs may be fed up to a maximum of 60% of total diet based on the percentage of dry matter in the feed ration, where such feed is produced on the same farm unit or otherwise a maximum of 30% of the total diet based on the percentage of dry matter in the feed ration
• Livestock operations should aim for feed self sufficiency within the region and the farming unit.
• At least of 50% of feeds should be sourced from organic farming systems in the region of the certified farming unit.
• For certified stock, up to 5% of the annual agricultural origin dry matter feed intake may be brought in as additional non-organic feed where unavailable in certified organic form and where products comply with other stipulations in the Standard (non GM, non contaminated).
• The use of growth promotants, stimulants, appetizers and solvent extracted feeds are prohibited from use in certified feed rations.
• Growth regulators and synthetic substances of any kind, including synthetic nitrogen compounds and urea, are prohibited.

For Ruminants

• Animal by products, including meat, offal, manures and feathermeal are prohibited as feedstuffs.
• For the EU market, at least 60% of the feed ration for ruminants must come from roughage, fresh or dried fodder or silage.

Prohibition:-

• feeding of animal manures
• use of synthetic nitrogen supplements, growth promotants and hormones
• use of synthetic yolk colourant
• Antibiotics, except under veterinary supervision and where it is required under State law, or where an outbreak is unmanageable by other means.
• Such poultry treated shall not be sold as certified and shall be separated and clearly distinguished from certified stock throughout their entire lives.
• Routine antibiotic use
• Routine vaccination, unless required by law or where it can be verified that organic management practices cannot control regional or on-farm diseases.