Partial Amendment to the Ordinance on Certification and Support for Livestock Happiness Farms Passes Gyeonggi Provincial Council
Detailed Guidelines to Be Established for Livestock Happiness Farm and Livestock Happiness Plus Certifications
Gyeonggi Province will introduce the "Livestock Happiness Plus Farm" system starting in 2026, a certification level higher than the existing Livestock Happiness Farm, which was established to improve issues such as excessive intensive breeding and unsanitary livestock environments.
The province announced that a partial amendment to the "Gyeonggi Province Ordinance on Certification and Support for Livestock Happiness Farms," which includes these measures, was approved at the 387th plenary session of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council on December 26.
The "Livestock Happiness Farm Certification System" was first introduced in 2017 when Gyeonggi Province enacted the relevant ordinance, becoming the first local government in the country to do so. The system targets farms raising Korean cattle, beef cattle, dairy cows, pigs, laying hens, and broilers. Through document screening, on-site inspections covering 30 to 38 items by livestock type, and review by an advisory committee, Gyeonggi Province certifies farms that meet the required standards.
From the first year of implementation in 2018 through 2025, a total of 634 farms in Gyeonggi Province (210 Korean cattle and beef cattle farms, 243 dairy cow farms, 102 pig farms, 56 broiler farms, and 23 laying hen farms) have been certified as Livestock Happiness Farms and are participating in the production of safe livestock products.
This ordinance amendment aims to provide standard guidelines for farms preparing for Livestock Happiness Farm and Livestock Happiness Plus Farm certifications and to establish a step-by-step certification system that further strengthens the concept of animal welfare.
The Livestock Happiness Plus Farm certification is granted through on-site inspections and advisory committee review to farms that have maintained the Livestock Happiness Farm certification for at least three consecutive years with proper post-certification management and that meet all the enhanced requirements for breeding environment, livestock environment management, and odor management set for the Plus Farm level.
The specific certification conditions for Livestock Happiness Plus Farms will be separately stipulated in the ordinance enforcement rules. The province plans to include requirements such as the installation of automatic temperature and humidity sensors, temperature-humidity index sensors, alarm systems, automatic alerts and fan/mist automatic recovery during heat waves, and other precision livestock safety devices.
Farms certified as Livestock Happiness Plus Farms will be eligible for support covering 50% of the installation costs, up to 100 million won, when spending 200 million won on facilities and equipment (such as barns, quarantine, manure treatment, and landscaping) that improve the breeding environment.
Shin Jonggwang, Director of Livestock Policy at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "The introduction of the higher-level Livestock Happiness Plus Farm system is a revision of the ordinance aimed at gradually raising the level of animal welfare among livestock farms in the province. In particular, by focusing on reducing odors in livestock barns, it is expected to provide practical improvements to the living conditions of both workers and nearby residents."
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