Key Issues We Care About

On-farm certification, training and auditing

Cargill recognizes the need for a farm-to-plate approach to food animal welfare education and training—this starts at the farm level to confirm the animals we use for food are raised and treated in a humane manner.

We know many of our producer partners already implement industry-approved animal handling, health, and nutrition techniques and science, but we are also aware that some producers may not have the same access to these educational tools and resources.

As an industry leader in animal welfare, it is our duty to ensure all producers are provided animal welfare education and resources and ensure compliance. This process is respectfully and thoughtfully executed at a reasonable rate.

Cargill’s approach to verifying on-farm animal welfare compliance is a three-step process. Using beef cattle as an example.

• The first step is education. That’s why at least 90 percent of our U.S. fed cattle beef supply is sourced from BQA certified feedyards. BQA certification provides the knowledge base needed to successfully move towards our projected second step.
• The second step involves assessments. After education, we encourage our producer partners to put their knowledge, as well as their current policies and procedures, to the test. BQA has provided an assessment that producers may use or, if they prefer, elect to employ their state BQA coordinator or veterinarian to complete. Assessments are voluntary, but Cargill believes they are a good way for a producer to prepare for the third step.
• The third step is third-party audits. Cargill has no timeline forecasted for third-party on-farm auditing but recognizes this is the future of animal agriculture. Such audits have been in place in the U.S. egg industry for nearly 20 years.

We must verify what we say is true and demonstrate transparency and compliance to our consumers. We believe that this three-step process will prepare our industry partners for a successful future.

Across North America and around the world Cargill supports industry groups that are developing training, education and auditing programs to verify on-farm animal welfare compliance in a fashion that supports our three-step process. Programs that Cargill recognizes include:

• National Milk Producers Federation’s Farmer’s Assuring Responsible Management; Verified Beef Production Plus and National Cattle Feeders Association feed yard Audit.
• Dairy Farmers of Canada’s ProAction

Transportation

The transportation of the animals we raise and/or process for food is a critical time in the lives of these animals. Moving animals from one place to another, no matter the stage of their lives or geography they are transported in, is a multifactorial process and an important animal welfare component.

Cargill follows all applicable federal, state and provincial livestock transportation laws. We are also working to advance transportation regulation to further protect animal health and improve product quality. 

We support the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s Beef Quality Assurance Transportation Certification Program and have been a technical contributor to, and funder of, the program. As of January 2020, we expect that all drivers delivering cattle to us be certified by Beef Quality Assurance Transportation to ensure they are well-trained in best animal handling practices.

Cargill actively supports, and funds research dedicated to the transportation of cattle.

Humane euthanasia

A humane euthanasia plan is a necessary component of a reputable animal welfare program.
Even at the best managed farms and processing plants, and during the safest transportation journeys, situations will arise that will require animals to be euthanized to alleviate pain and mitigate suffering.

Approved forms of humane euthanasia will provide minimal distress during application, rapid loss of consciousness and a quick and painless death. The animals we raise and/or process for food deserve a respectful death and Cargill is committed to remaining at the forefront of new science and technology to implement the most humane methods of euthanasia when necessary.

We support the American Veterinarian Medical Association’s recommended methods of humane euthanasia for beef, dairy, and pork animals.

Physical alterations and pain management

Cargill takes seriously the pain associated with the physical alteration of animals and encourages producers to avoid them when possible.

We realize that there are several physical alterations necessary for long-term animal welfare, worker safety, production applications, and meat quality.

We follow all state, federal and provincial regulations and the expectation is that our supplier partners to do the same. Moreover, industry groups have provided best practices in relation to physical alterations and we expect producers to use these as a guideline within their business model. Cargill supports the following industry guidelines on physical alterations:

• Beef Quality Assurance (BQA)
• Verified Beef Production Plus Canada (VBP+)
• FARM
• ProAction
• Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus)

We are encouraged by the advancements in pain management research and technology. Cargill supports and encourages the U.S. Federal Drug Administration’s approval of analgesics for soothing pain in animals.

Enriched housing

We listen carefully to our customer and consumer preferences in addition to current animal welfare science. Therefore, we recognize the importance of offering alternatives in the way our chickens are raised.

Some of our birds are reared in a manner that ensures they have been provided with access to natural daylight and enriched environments (e.g. bales of hay, perches and pecking objects) to provide stimulation.

Physical alterations

Physical alterations of any sort are taken seriously and avoided when possible. If any procedures must be performed, we follow current science-based, industry proven, best practices to minimize the impact of the procedure. This applies to all animals in our care and the same expectations extend to our suppliers.

We do not perform physical alterations to any of our broilers. To protect the health of Cargill’s broiler breeder chickens and turkeys, they may receive either toe-trimming, spurring trimming, and/or beak trimming, which ensures the wellbeing and safety of the entire flock.

Alternative humane slaughter methods

In support of continuous improvement in animal welfare, some of our poultry businesses have either long-implemented alternative humane slaughter methods, such as Controlled Atmospheric Stunning (CAS), or are in the process for transitioning from an electric water stunning system to CAS systems.

During the transition period, internal committees are charged with the responsibility to carefully chose and implement the system which best addresses bird welfare while also meeting our business needs. Our London, Ontario, Canada chicken processing facility installed a CAS system in spring 2018.

Euthanasia

Euthanasia – which is separate from humane slaughter - is performed only when necessary to end animal suffering.

Our concern for the well-being of animals involves responsible euthanasia when it is called for at the hatchery, on farm, or during transport.

Our teams who handle live animals are trained on humane euthanasia techniques. We believe it is essential to stay current on new technologies and best practices that avoid, unless absolutely necessary, humane euthanasia.

Antibiotics related to animal welfare

Cargill is a firm supporter of the judicious use of antibiotics and working toward the reduction in use of certain antibiotics important to human health. At the same time, if a flock of animals become sick, we have a duty to treat them. Withholding medical treatment results in needless pain and suffering, which is unacceptable.

Although our U.S. egg processing business does not own egg-laying hens, our focus is on humane handling and care, proper nutrition and minimizing distress for all the animals under our suppliers’ care.

Our contracted, conventionally raised egg supply originates from farms that are United Egg Producers (UEP) certified. This is confirmed by an annual, independent, third-party audit. We purchase cage-free eggs that are certified by either American Humane Association, Humane Farm Animal Care or UEP.

• As customers express consumer-driven desires to transition to cage-free eggs, we have been a proactive partner in helping them make that change by working with our suppliers, academics and other subject matter experts to ensure those transitions are implemented effectively.
• Cargill is a founding member of the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, and the Coalition’s commercial-scale, scientific research is fundamental in helping us understand the benefits and potential drawbacks of various housing types.  We are using the insights from this research to actively address some of the potential challenges associated with cage-free egg production that the research has identified, while maintaining the benefits of this type of housing.
• With a clear understanding of long-term cage-free trends, Cargill has been working closely with our egg suppliers to pioneer efforts that will enable us to meet the future needs of our customers and help them grow their business.  While we do not own egg laying hens, we anticipate future egg supply agreements involving new construction and remodeling of layer housing will ONLY require cage-free configurations. 
• We have entered into multiple long-term agreements to meet cage-free requirements by customers, including construction of new housing and re-modeling of existing housing.  Cage-free agreements are currently being finalized with additional Cargill egg suppliers.

Our commitment to animal welfare associated with our egg supply includes:

• Providing our customers with high-quality options including cage-free eggs and eggs produced in housing systems that provide healthy and humane conditions for laying hens.
• Working with the world’s leading animal welfare experts and our egg suppliers to research the most innovative housing systems and standards to ensure that our eggs are produced in a humane and respectful way.
• Focusing on humane handling and care, proper nutrition, and minimizing distress for all the animals under our suppliers’ care.
• Ensuring that our suppliers are held to our high standards by conducting independent audits of supplier farms to measure and verify performance.