Certified Humane

Our read

Certified Humane is the most demanding of the four farm-assurance marks in this set, and the gap is wide. It is the only one of the four with published species-specific standards carrying numeric thresholds a reader can check: a minimum 1.5 sq ft per hen in a single-level litter house, one nest box per five hens, 15 cm of perch per hen, ammonia no more than 10 ppm at bird height. Cages, gestation stalls and tie stalls are prohibited outright, and the audit reaches transport and the slaughter plant rather than stopping at the farm gate. Holders are a minority of US production, so the mark carries real signal. Two things are commonly misread. First, it is not a pasture label: the laying hen standard states plainly that hens are not required to have outdoor access, and Free Range or Pasture Raised are separate optional claims. On outdoor access, Certified Animal Welfare Approved by AGW and the upper Global Animal Partnership steps are more demanding, while lower GAP steps are less so. Second, it has no environmental content whatsoever. A brand carrying this mark has said something about animal housing, and nothing about its footprint.

The scheme

What we read

HFAC Animal Care Standards, Egg Laying Hens, Edition 21 (file published 2023); HFAC standards index as at July 2026 (Beef Cattle Nov 2025 Edition 23, Bison October 2025, Farmed Atlantic Salmon 25-v1-1); Certified Humane Asia Fee Schedule 2026 CHA-26v2

• what_it_covers — species-specific standards and their versions — Standards published for Beef Cattle (Nov 2025 Edition 23), Chickens, Egg Laying Hens (2023), Ducks, Dairy Cattle, Goats, Sheep, Pigs, Turkeys, Bison, Young Dairy Beef, Red Deer, Water Buffalo, Farmed Atlantic Salmon, Farmed Tilapia and Hatc
• what_it_covers — stocking density thresholds — In a single level, all-litter house, a minimum of 1.5 sq. ft. (0.14 sq. m) per hen must be allocated to allow normal behavior and dilute the feces.
• what_it_covers — cage prohibition — All Cages type systems such as battery cages, furnished or enriched cages, as well as aviary systems that are designed to confine birds ... [are prohibited]
• what_it_covers — enrichment requirements — Individual nest boxes must be provided at not less than one nest per 5 hens. ... Perches must be provided at not less than 6" (15 cm) per hen.
• what_it_covers — ammonia threshold — The ammonia concentration at bird height should be no more than 10 ppm
• what_it_omits — outdoor access not required — The Animal Care Standards for Laying Hens do not require that hens have access to outdoors, or be raised on range. This may have advantages for welfare and is encouraged.
• what_it_omits — no environmental requirements of its own; environmental compliance deferred to law — Farmers must also comply with any local, state or federal mandates for egg and poultry production that affect the environment or safety of their product, as well as the Veterinary Practices Act in their state.
• what_it_omits — beak trimming permitted — Debeaking (severe beak trimming) is not permitted. ... In flocks that are susceptible to outbreaks of cannibalism, the beaks of hens may be trimmed at 10 days of age or younger as a preventive measure.
• independence_score — inspectors are third-party but HFAC makes the certification decision — Inspectors do NOT make any decisions about whether an applicant should be granted certification. They report only their expert observations.
• independence_score — unannounced audits are discretionary, not routine — They may be unannounced, as judged necessary by our executive staff.
• renewal_period — annual re-audit, one-year certificate — Certification is good for one year and applies only to the animals and products that meet our standards.
• enforcement_score — revocation possible, no published register — Transparency page publishes annual financial reports 2012-2024 but contains no register of suspensions, decertifications or sanctions.
• enforcement_score — fee non-payment triggers suspension — IF A CERTIFIED OPERATOR FAILS TO PAY CERTIFICATION FEES IN A TIMELY MANNER, CERTIFICATION MAY BE SUSPENDED.
• cost_range — Farm Inspections: CHA fee for conducting inspections of a farm is US$800/day(8hs)/inspector for Japan, South Korea and Singapore ... For additional audits (including unannounced ones), there is a 30% discount.
• yko_assessment — position relative to AGW and GAP on outdoor access — Animal Welfare Approved requires 'continuous access to pasture or range for all animals'; Certified Humane 'includes indoor, free-range, and pasture options'

What we could not establish

Could not establish: the number of certified operations or animals covered — HFAC publishes neither, so the market-penetration claim is qualitative rather than a figure. Could not find any ISO/IEC 17065, ANSI/ANAB or IOAS accreditation of HFAC as a certification body; the transparency page lists charity ratings (CANDID platinum) rather than conformity-assessment accreditation, and absence of a published accreditation is the basis for the independence score rather than a claim that accreditation was refused. The US fee schedule page was not reachable; figures cited are the Certified Humane Asia 2026 schedule and may differ in the US. Egg Laying Hens PDF is filed as '2023' on the standards index but its cover states Edition 21; HFAC does not date every edition consistently.

Who holds it

Scored companies carrying this mark, highest first. Holding it is not the same as scoring well — the mark is one input of six.

If you hold this certification, it is already on your record. What a buyer cannot see there yet is the evidence behind the parts this standard does not reach.

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