CO-OP GROUP (SWITZERLAND), CRANSWICK, MARKS & SPENCER, MIGROS AND WAITROSE CONTINUE TO SHOW LEADERSHIP ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

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.”

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