How to Use G.A.P.’s Records Templates
At G.A.P., we want farmers to succeed. Our standards may be tough, but our goal is to drive continuous improvement in animal welfare. To help reach that goal, we work to support the farmers and ranchers who are seeking G.A.P. animal welfare certification.
That’s why G.A.P. has developed tools to help producers. G.A.P.’s record templates make it easier to keep required records of daily events and occurrences. There are two types of documents available:
- An easy-to-use .pdf template for each type of record (e.g. treatment records) that producers can use, as needed, to replace and/or supplement their own records (available for all G.A.P. species), and
- A ‘smart’ excel document that allows producers to track and monitor multiple events in one place, in real time (available for broilers, turkeys, pigs, and sheep). For example, mortality, air quality, outdoor access, and more, can all be tracked together in one document!
The ‘smart’ sheets differ depending on the specific needs for each species, but in general, they can help track:
- Flock/herd check dates and times,
- Mortalities/culls and causes of death (and instantaneous mortality rate calculations),
- Daily air quality,
- Outdoor access dates and times,
- Flock-/herd-level problems, remedial actions and outcomes,
- And more!
Special features include dropdown menus, automated calculations, and changing cell colors that can be used to flag compliance issues, like exceeding the air quality thresholds. This will help remind you to implement a working written intervention plan to bring the values back into compliance.
We’ve also created a specialized scoring sheet for footpad dermatitis (FPD) scoring for broilers and turkeys. This easy-to-use document can help you track FPD scores at the touch of a button.
If you like the sounds of G.A.P.’s ‘smart sheet’ records template – check them out on our website. Every document has a short “How-to Guide” video to walk you through the features. We recommend using these documents on your computer, but they are also compatible with Microsoft Excel apps on your mobile devices. In addition, each document has a brief instructions portion at the top for quick tips. And lastly, don’t forget to refer to our Standards for more information.
If you have suggestions on how to make these templates work better for you – we want to hear from you! We would be happy to work with you to create a personalized document that will suit your specific needs. Leave a message on our website, or email us at info@globalanimalpartnership.org.
