Animal Welfare at Cargill
Our commitment to animal care and handling
For more than 155 years we have been guided by the philosophy that doing the right thing is beneficial to all and helps our customers and communities thrive as we nourish the world in a safe, responsible and sustainable way.
As we deliver sustainable feed and food around the world, we understand and embrace our responsibility to ensure animals are treated with respect and dignity.
The proper care and handling of animals is critically important as global population and the demand for nutritious, affordable and high-quality protein increases.
Cargill takes pride in being an industry leader in animal welfare and we maintain high standards for our suppliers and ourselves. We employ a zero-tolerance policy on animal abuse. We do not tolerate abusive behavior directed at animals by employees, suppliers, transporters, or others in our supply chains.
We work with a variety of stakeholders, including farmers and ranchers, customers, NGOs, academics, scientists, veterinarians, including world renowned animal welfare expert Dr. Temple Grandin, to ensure that we employ best practices.
We are committed to continuous improvement in our animal welfare efforts, with our philosophy based on meeting or exceeding the Five Freedoms adopted by the UK Farm Animal Welfare Council and supported by the Paris-based Organization for Animal Health. These five freedoms are commonly held as a global standard for the fair and ethical treatment of animals.
The five freedoms
The five freedoms are principles supported by the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).
Freedom from hunger and thirst
The animals under our care are provided with nutritionally balanced diets at all stages of life. They are always given free access to fresh, clean water.
Freedom from discomfort
Rearing conditions are carefully monitored, controlled, and managed to provide animal comfort which allows them to thrive.
Freedom from pain, injury or disease
The animals under our care are provided with veterinary oversight to prevent and treat any pain, injury or disease. Keeping animals healthy is a top priority.
Freedom to express normal behavior
Continuous improvement and research in environmental rearing conditions and our overall commitment to good welfare practices such as working toward allowing animals the freedom to express their natural range of behaviors.
Freedom from fear and distress
All employees responsible for handling animals are trained on humane and low stress handling. Cargill does not tolerate the mistreatment of animals.
We continuously explore how we can evolve and improve our approach to animal welfare. In the case of our global commitments, we are currently working with others in the industry to advance our framework to the Five Domains, a more comprehensive set of criteria that goes beyond the Five Freedoms to take into consideration how environments impact an animal’s mental state. We expect to continue these discussions in the coming year. Find more information on the Five Domains here.