CO-OP GROUP (SWITZERLAND), CRANSWICK, MARKS & SPENCER, MIGROS AND WAITROSE CONTINUE TO SHOW LEADERSHIP ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE
London, UK. The sixth annual Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare, launched today at the London Stock Exchange, identifies Co-op Group (Switzerland), Cranswick, Marks & Spencer, Migros and Waitrose as global leaders on farm animal welfare.
The Benchmark also shows that many of the 110 global food companies covered by the Benchmark are integrating farm animal welfare into their management and reporting processes. For example, 47% of these companies now have explicit board or senior management oversight of farm animal welfare, and 72% have published formal improvement objectives for farm animal welfare.
Commenting on the overall findings, Nicky Amos, Executive Director of BBFAW noted: “Perhaps the most significant change relative to the 2016 Benchmark is the dramatically improved performance of the restaurants and bars sector. Our discussions with companies in the sector suggest that this improvement is being driven by increased client and consumer interest in farm animal welfare, and by NGO, media and investor pressure on these companies to make public commitments on specific animal welfare issues (e.g. on cage-free eggs, on broiler chicken welfare, on reductions in the use of antibiotics).
Dr Rory Sullivan, Expert Advisor to BBFAW noted: “It is clear that farm animal welfare is moving from the farm gates to the boardroom. Increasingly, food companies see farm animal welfare as a core risk and a strategic issue, featuring alongside issues such as climate change, water and public health. Despite this, 42 of the 110 companies covered by the Benchmark – a group which includes household names such as Kraft Heinz, Mars Inc. and Starbucks Corporation provide very limited information on their approach to farm animal welfare.”
The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), the leading global measure of policy commitment, performance, and disclosure on animal welfare in food companies has launched its annual consultation with long-term founding partner, Compassion in World Farming and new supporting partner, FOUR PAWS. The consultation runs until 28 May and has been shared with the 150 companies in the benchmark as well as being publicly available online.
24th May 2021Two consultation webinars were held on the 19th May and offered companies the opportunity to hear more about the proposed changes to the 2021 BBFAW methodology and to submit responses live during the webinar. View the video and presentation if you missed this event and wish to catch upon-demand.
20th May 2021Watch the webinar hosted by Boston Trust Walden and Chronos Sustainability on the North American results of the 9th annual Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW).
19th May 2021