Assessment & Certification

Assessment

We regularly assess our operations to ensure sustainability, humane animal handling, employee safety and food safety best practices are being followed. These reviews reinforce standards, identify areas for improvement and increase transparency.

Animal welfare

Animal welfare is an essential component of how we operate our plants and other company-owned facilities. Our assessment processes include:

• Independent audits: We conduct annual third-party animal welfare audits and strictly adhere to North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and National Cattlemen’s Beef Association’s (NCBA) Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) animal handling standards.
• Remote video auditing: We pioneered the use of third-party remote video auditing (RVA) for animal welfare purposes at all Cargill beef plants.

Certification

We expect animals to be treated well throughout the beef supply chain, from producers to transportation to processing at a Cargill facility. Certification is one way we help ensure best practices are being followed.

Cattle producers: We have met and continue to exceed our commitment that 90% of our U.S. feed yard cattle supply be purchased from yards that are Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) certified. BQA is a stewardship certification program that educates cattle producers in animal handling best practices, including optimal antibiotic use. We support the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program, a set of animal welfare guidelines for use by dairy farmers. In Canada, our cattle supply is raised in accordance with the Canadian Codes of Practice for the Care and Handling of Beef Cattle and Dairy Cattle.

Transportation: Good animal husbandry is important in every step of the production process, including transportation of cattle. All drivers delivering cattle to our U.S. slaughter plants are certified by the Beef Quality Assurance Transportation and Training Certification Program (BQAT) for cattle transporters. The BQAT program was developed by veterinarians, animal scientists, educators and beef producers to improve animal welfare, create an identification and documentation system for information about cattle transporters, and increase accountability, transparency and compliance with animal welfare and food quality standards.

Animal handling: Our employees are trained and certified in safe animal handling best practices. We employ more than 30 Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO) certified auditors. Each of our North American processing plants have government employed veterinarians and inspection staff, and they, along with our PAACO-certified auditors and trained employees, oversee the onsite health, quality and handling of the animals we process. Government personnel audit our processes, documentation and training records to ensure compliance.