SA's ostrich industry gets serious about animal welfare

Why was the Ostrich Production Standard developed? The industry had a good Code of Practice, which focused primarily on production management standards. By 2018, however, concerns were being raised that the code wasn’t sufficiently detailed or formalised. Luxury goods company Hermès, the biggest international buyer of highquality ostrich leather, worked with Klein Karoo International to drive the development of an ostrich standard, and this was officially launched in 2021. (Klein Karoo International merged with Mosstrich to become Cape Karoo International in 2019.) What makes the Ostrich Production Standard different from the Code of Practice? The code was developed by the industry for the industry, whereas the standard touches on every aspect of the ostrich production cycle. The industry consulted with Exotic Assurance, an Australian company that assisted with the development of the Australian shipping standard…