Report Claims Farm Animal Welfare is Not Being Properly Managed and Reported

A ground-breaking report published in the UK has revealed that farm animal welfare is not being properly managed and reported by the food industry. The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare, the first structured benchmark of the world’s leading food companies, provides an objective account of the state of farm animal welfare as a business issue.

25 Feb 2013 --- The benchmark of 68 global food companies reveals that many companies in the food industry are not effectively managing the business risks or opportunities associated with farm animal welfare, and that a majority have yet to report on how they are managing farm animal welfare.

The report has been developed based on the assessment of farm animal welfare information published in annual reports, corporate websites, press releases and CSR reports by food companies in the retail, production and service sectors.

Nicky Amos, the Business Benchmark’s Programme Director, commented: “The central conclusion from our research is that farm animal welfare is receiving nothing like the attention that other corporate responsibility issues are receiving. While over 70% of the companies covered by our assessment acknowledge farm animal welfare as a business issue, many have yet to publish a formal policy and fewer still have set out the specific commitments that underpin this area. Of the 68 companies, only 46% have published a formal farm animal welfare policy, only 41% describe how their board or senior management oversee their approach to farm animal welfare, and just 26% have published objectives and targets for farm animal welfare.”

In the foreword of the report, Justin King CBE, Chief Executive of J. Sainsbury Plc, expresses his support for the report, saying: “In order to improve animal welfare standards we must first measure them.  This Benchmark report provides a unique reflection on the relative performance of food companies on this issue.  Critically, unlike other animal welfare reports, it seeks to engage investors whose buy-in is essential to truly embed and take forward the concept within businesses.  As the public and customers become increasingly interested in where their food comes from and how it was produced, we can expect more companies to seek to improve their management and reporting of farm animal welfare.  This report provides a great platform for them to learn from and benchmark against their peers and will be an important tool in helping to raise standards and reporting across the sector.”

Dr Rory Sullivan, expert advisor to the Business Benchmark, commented: “The business case for companies (and their investors) to be concerned about farm animal welfare is compelling. Regulation (in particular within the European Union), consumer concern, pressure from animal welfare NGOs, and media concerns about poor corporate practices mean that farm animal welfare is an important business risk and an increasingly important driver of investment value. While there are pockets of good practice and some clear leaders, notably The Co-operative Food (UK), Noble Foods and Unilever, our research suggests that many food companies are not effectively managing risks or maximising the business opportunities presented by farm animal welfare.”

While the overall findings suggest that farm animal welfare as a business issue is in its infancy, the Benchmark has identified some good practice examples in companies such as:
•    Unilever’s Sustainable Agriculture Code – which outlines a commitment to the Five Freedoms (a universal framework for analysing animal welfare), to continuous improvement in farm animal welfare performance and to ensuring all suppliers are aware of and compliant with relevant legislation
•    The Co-operative Food (UK) – which publishes details of its supply chain auditing to basic and higher animal welfare standards
•    Sainsbury’s which through its Concept Pig Farm is pioneering new techniques and sharing knowledge with farmers on higher welfare standards
•    Noble Foods which has developed initiatives aimed at promoting higher welfare eggs to consumers

Mike Baker, Chief Executive of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, says: “WSPA is delighted to have supported the creation of this new benchmark for investors.  Investors have told us that this tool will help them understand which food business companies have transparent policies in place to manage animal welfare. Our hope is that it will encourage all businesses to adopt good practices.” 
Compassion in World Farming’s Chief Executive, Philip Lymbery, says: “The way that our food is produced and the treatment of the farm animals involved has become an increasingly important issue.  For the very first time, this report shows how leading companies are responding to this issue and whether they are fully embracing the opportunities afforded by taking it as seriously as society now demands.”