1-on-1 With Animal Welfare Auditor Jacquelyn Babcock

When you hear “animal welfare auditor,” you might envision someone in a suit, clipboard in hand, giving pigs performance reviews. But Jacquelyn Babcock’s work is far more nuanced and impactful.

As an animal welfare auditor (and Director of Animal Welfare Auditing and Training at Farm Animal Care Training & Auditing, or FACTA), Jacquelyn balances a whirlwind of responsibilities: travel, training, data entry, biosecurity protocols, and the occasional international farm visit. Her work spans everything from high-tech poultry barns to small-scale hog farms, always with an eye on improving welfare standards.

“I thought I was getting into animal welfare auditing for the animals,” she says. “But it is just as much for the people.”

From rural livestock auctions to coordinating audits across six countries, Jacquelyn’s mission is rooted in compassion for both animals and those who care for them.

What inspired you to pursue a career focused on animal welfare?

From the time I could tell you what I wanted to do, I wanted to help animals. I didn’t know what that looked like growing up, but I saw abused horses come through the auction, and I knew I wanted to do something positive. I took every agriculture class in high school, as well as a veterinary internship, to learn that I didn’t want to be a veterinarian. I then worked in research throughout college. 

After graduation, I found a job as an internal animal welfare auditor for an egg-laying company. When the opportunity came up to audit a variety of species and travel, I was ecstatic. Not many people can say they have visited farms in six countries!

What does a typical day look like for you?

As director, I schedule and manage a team of animal welfare auditors that conduct audits on primarily swine and poultry farms across the United States, as well as internationally. 

I also update FACTA’s online training programs, coordinate with our clients, and work with regulators such as the California Department of Food and Agriculture. FACTA utilizes many different audit tools for companies and audit regulations, such as the Common Swine Industry Audit or United Egg Producers standards.

Part of what I love most about my job is that there is no typical day. I spend some days in the office working on scheduling or entering audit reports; I spend other days traveling and on farms with producers. Every day and week is a bit different, as we work with clients of varying sizes and manage the biosecurity requirements of those clients.

What would most people be surprised to learn about your job?

Farmers care deeply about the animals they raise. The animals in their care are almost always taken care of to the best of their ability, and the farmers really do care about what they do.

What are some of the biggest challenges you face when conducting animal welfare audits across different types of operations?

Understanding how production is done differently and the various challenges producers face is essential to auditing. How a hog producer in Minnesota manages his operation compared to one in Oklahoma is very different. 

The weather and available resources make a big difference in how things are done. This also influences audits. Audit criteria are based on a farm or the person writing the audit’s experience, but not all criteria apply in all situations or are practical for everyone to meet.

How have you seen attitudes toward animal welfare evolve over the past decade?

Animal welfare is becoming more important on a daily basis, as is the demand for audits. State legislation, such as California Proposition 12, is driving audits and requirements, and there will continue to be an increase in required audits for farms, which will (hopefully) instill more faith from consumers.

Can you share an experience from the field that was particularly moving?

Every day, my commitment to this work is reaffirmed through working with producers. I thought I was getting into animal welfare auditing for the animals, but it is just as much for the people. Talking to the producers and understanding how they came to work in their jobs and how much they care for the animals in their care inspires me to help confirm they are meeting standards and help consumers understand what is being done on farms.

Are there any common misconceptions producers or the general public have about animal welfare audits?

I believe the general public has no idea how many animal welfare audits occur on a regular basis. Almost every major company conducts a percentage of third-party animal welfare audits annually.  Generally, these companies have a team of people dedicated to internal animal welfare who take auditing very seriously.

How do third-party audits (like those from FACTA) influence people’s trust in our food supply?

Hopefully, third-party audits and certification seals on products at the store instill trust in how animals are cared for before the product arrives at the store. Most animal welfare standards are public, so if you see a logo on a product at the store, you can look up what that logo means and the standards that were met to achieve that certification.

What role do new technologies, such as video monitoring, play in the future of animal welfare auditing?

Video monitoring is a great tool to help monitor animal welfare, but it will not replace people on-farm and animal welfare audits. The use of video is great for monitoring high-concern areas in processing plants or hatcheries, for example, but there are always blind spots and additional questions that can be asked by someone in person.

If you could implement one change across all animal agriculture systems tomorrow, what would it be and why?

Communication. This could be in many different forms, such as communication with the consumers, so they begin to understand agriculture practices and don’t think negatively about it. It could also be communication across species and industries, as there is so much good information that isn’t shared, and ideas that could be utilized by other sectors, but aren’t.