USS INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, HERMES EQUITY OWNERSHIP SERVICES AND SONEN CAPITAL SIGN GLOBAL INVESTOR STATEMENT ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE
USS Investment Management, Hermes Equity Ownership Services (EOS) and Sonen Capital have become the latest institutional investors to sign the Global Investor Statement on Farm Animal Welfare. In total the Statement now has 21 signatories representing approximately £1.73 trillion in assets under management.
The signatories state that they believe that farm animal welfare is potentially material to long-term investment value creation in the food sector. They commit to taking account of farm animal welfare when analysing food companies and to encouraging high standards across the food industry. They also point to the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare as a framework that can be used by companies and by investors to guide their work on farm animal welfare.
Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare Programme Director, Nicky Amos, commented: “The level of investor support for the Statement is further evidence that farm animal welfare is now recognised as an important source of investment risk and opportunity”.
Dr Rory Sullivan, Expert Advisor to the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare added: “Our research shows that investors are increasingly identifying farm animal welfare as an investment risk, and that they are starting to build farm animal welfare into investment models and into their engagement programmes”.
NN Group, a Dutch financial services company, with a strong presence in several European countries and Japan, has become a member of the BBFAW Global Investor Collaboration on Farm Animal Welfare. As a signatory to the Collaboration, NN Group will participate in an annual engagement to improve animal welfare management practices amongst BBFAW’s 150 global companies.
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