‘raising the standard’ supermarkets & farm … · compassion in world farming trust...

SUPERMARKETS & FARMANIMAL WELFARE‘RAISING THE STANDARD’

Compassion in WorldFarming Trust Supermarket

Survey 2003-2004

Compassion in World Farming Trust

one

Supermarkets & Farm Animal Welfare - ‘Raising the Standard’

SUPERMARKETS &FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

‘RAISING THE STANDARD’Supermarket Survey of Farm Animal Welfare Standards 2003-2004

Conducted by

Compassion In World Farming Trust (CIWF Trust)

Compiled by

Heather Pickett and Kerry Burgess

Published by

Compassion in World Farming Trust5a Charles Street, Petersfield, Hampshire GU32 3EH, UK

© Compassion in World Farming Trust 2004

ISBN 1 900156 28 8

Compassion in World Farming Trust is an educational charity dedicated to advancing farm animal welfare. Registered Charity number, 1095050, a company limited by guarantee, Registered Number 4590804.

two


Introduction 4

Summary and Conclusions 6

Survey Results: 10

• Supermarket Sales of ‘Own Label’ and ‘Farm Assured’ Livestock Products 11

• Section 1: Supermarket Policy and Investment in Animal Welfare 12

• Section 2: The Welfare of Broiler Chickens 14

• Section 3: The Welfare of Laying Hens 15

• Section 4: The Welfare of Turkeys and Ducks 17

• Section 5: The Welfare of Pigs 18

• Section 6: The Welfare of Cattle 21

• Section 7: Exotic/Luxury Animal Products and the Welfare of Other Farmed Animals 24

• Section 8: Livestock Markets, Transport and Slaughter 26

• Section 9: The Welfare of Farmed Fish 29

• Antibiotics in Livestock Production 32

• Supermarket Sales of Alternatives to Intensively Farmed Animal Products 33

The ‘Ideal’ Welfare-Friendly Supermarket of the Future 36

Compassionate Supermarket of the Year 2003-2004 39

CIWF Trust Recommendations for Progress 41

CON

TEN

TS

three


SUPERMARKETS & FARM ANIMAL WELFARE -‘RAISING THE STANDARD’CIWF TRUST SURVEY OF SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON ANIMALWELFARE 2003

The welfare of farm animals is recognised as an importantpublic and political issue in the UK and Europe. The pastdecade has seen some welcome legislation introduced tocounter some of the worst excesses of factory farming.Narrow veal crates for calves and sow stalls for pregnantpigs have both been banned in the UK. Yet the vastmajority of farm animals are still kept indoors in highlyintensive systems. Consumers are increasingly concernedabout the way in which farm animals are treated. Withmost of the nation’s food shopping now taking place insupermarkets, the multiple retailers have become the mainlink between the farm and the food we put into ourshopping baskets. Compassion In World Farming Trust(CIWF Trust) has carried out this survey of supermarketstandards and performance on farm animal welfare inorder to raise those standards and to inform consumersabout how their food is produced.

Supermarkets have enormous influence over the animal welfare standards

adopted in the production of the meat, milk and eggs they sell. Their dominant

force in the UK retail sector and consequent buying power means that

supermarkets have the ability to impose tight requirements on how food is

produced. They also have tremendous scope for promoting one product over

another using mechanisms such as price promotions, in-store product

positioning, labelling, and publicity or customer information campaigns.

The first CIWF Trust ‘Raising the Standard’ survey was conducted in 2001 and

sought to benchmark the UK’s leading supermarkets on farm animal welfare

standards. This was achieved by issuing a questionnaire on key areas of animal

welfare to the ten biggest UK supermarkets. This repeated survey in 2003

incorporates an expanded range of questions and is part of an ongoing project that

aims to track progress and commitment to these standards in order to improve the

lives of farm animals. It also highlights the need for greater attention to welfare

standards as part of each company’s corporate responsibility for social issues.

Grateful thanks are extended to each company for its help and co-operation:

ASDA, The Co-operative Group (Co-op), Marks & Spencer (M&S), Safeway,

Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose and Wm Morrison’s Stores (Morrison). Iceland Foods

and Sainsbury’s declined the opportunity to participate in this year’s survey.

CIWF Trust’s ‘Raising the Standard’ initiative supports supermarket best practice

on farm animal welfare and consumer choice by:

• Tracking and benchmarking supermarket commitment and progress on key

areas of animal welfare concern, thereby providing a comparative set of

data to inform future retail strategy on farm animal welfare standards.

• Rewarding progress and best practice on animal welfare by ensuring public

recognition for improvements made and strides taken, something that has

all too often gone unnoticed in the past.

four


• Highlighting areas where animal welfare standards need improvement.

• Informing consumers about the welfare standards employed by the

supermarket at which they shop.

• Seeking to re-establish ethical standards of farm animal welfare as an

alternative to price-based competition whereby companies vie to see who

can sell food for the lowest price.

In short, this ‘Raising the Standard’ supermarket survey is an integral part of our

campaign for more humane food and farming.

five


SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONSAlthough the 2003 ‘Raising the Standard’ survey has revealed a welcome trend

towards free range eggs, it has also identified areas that need further progress

from the UK’s major supermarkets. Progress is urgently needed to raise welfare

standards for the indoor-farming of pigs, the rearing of chickens for poultry

meat where the great majority are intensively farmed, and for farmed fish.

Maximum transport times for poultry travelling to slaughter need to be reduced

further by most companies.

The Welfare of Broiler (Meat) Chickens

Most supermarkets allow chickens reared intensively for meat to bestocked at densities that exceed government guidelines. Broiler chickens

are often kept in their thousands

in windowless sheds at such high

stocking densities that they soon

carpet the floor. Stocking densities

are often expressed in terms of the

number of kilograms of bird reared

per square metre of floor space.

UK government guidelines specify

a maximum of 34kg/m2. Only

Marks & Spencer stipulates this

maximum, which CIWF Trust

believes is itself too high. All other

supermarkets will accept chickens kept at stocking densities up to 38 kg/m2,

thereby exceeding government guidelines.

Consumers wishing to buy more humanely reared chicken can choose free range

or organic options. All of the supermarkets questioned sell free range

and/or organic chickens. Over a third of the chickens sold by Waitrose come

from these higher welfare systems. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist

on reduced stocking densities for indoor-reared broiler chickens, and to promote

greater sales of free range and organic chickens.

The Welfare of Egg-Laying Hens

Moving away from

sales of eggs from

battery cages is seen

by CIWF Trust as a key

indicator of

performance on farm

animal welfare. Marks& Spencer is the firstUK supermarket tosell only free rangeeggs, both in shelland as eggingredient in itsentire range of processed foods and ready made meals. Waitrose sells

only non-cage eggs in shell and has set a target date of December 2004 to

eliminate all cage egg ingredient from its entire sales volume of processed foods

and ready-made meals. The Co-operative Group is also aiming to phase out

sales of cage eggs in shell at some time in the future. CIWF Trust urges the

remaining supermarkets to set targets for the elimination of caged shell egg

sales and caged egg ingredients, mindful that the battery system is so cruel that

the EU has voted to prohibit it by 2012.

Overcrowding in broiler (meat) chicken sheds

Hens in battery cages

six


The Welfare of Pigs

One fifth of the pig meat sold by W M Morrison’s Stores under theirown label is imported from stall systems, and this includes nearly half(44%) of their premium range of own label ham. The Co-operativeGroup and Somerfield are also still selling a small proportion of stalland tether-produced pig meat under their own label. In these systems,

sows are unable to exercise or turn around throughout their four-month

pregnancy. Sow stalls have been banned in the UK on cruelty grounds. Most

companies did not supply data for branded

pig meat on this issue.

At the end of their pregnancy, most

breeding sows still give birth and nurse their

piglets in narrow farrowing crates. These

systems are equally as restricting as sow

stalls, but remain legal in the UK. Much ofthe pig meat in supermarkets comesfrom mothering sows kept in farrowingcrates. All supermarkets sell some pig meat

produced using the more humane non-crate

indoor system or outdoor farrowing without

crates, including over three quarters of the

pig meat sold by Waitrose, and around a

third of that sold by ASDA, The Co-operative Group, Safeway, Somerfield and

Tesco.

The highest welfare rearing system is a well-managed outdoor farm. Since the

first CIWF Trust supermarket survey, there have been some very welcome

increases in the proportion of pig meat produced from breeding sows kept

outdoors. Outdoor bred pork, bacon and ham now accounts for at leasta quarter of pig meat sales for all the supermarkets surveyed, including

around three quarters or more of sales for Safeway, Somerfield and Waitrose.

Despite a ban on routine tail docking of piglets, the majority of pigmeat sold by most supermarkets still comes from pigs that have beentail docked. Only Waitrose has achieved a welcome low of just 2% of pigs

being subjected to this mutilation. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist

that their suppliers provide pigs with bedding material to create an environment

that eliminates the perceived ‘need’ for tail docking.

Over half of the pig meat sold by mostsupermarkets is from pigs that have had theirteeth clipped. The proportion is rather lower for

Marks & Spencer and Waitrose, at one fifth and

12% respectively. Most supermarkets also sell some

pig meat from pigs that have been castrated, with

around half of the pig meat sold by Marks &

Spencer coming from castrated pigs.

For many supermarkets that sell different product

ranges of pig meat, a higher proportion of premium

range pig meat is produced from outdoor bred pigs

compared with standard and economy ranges.

However, this survey has found that premiumrange pig meat products are not necessarily produced to higher overallwelfare standards compared with economy and standard ranges.Indeed, as has been shown for the proportion of pig meat produced using stall

systems, in some cases premium range pig meat may actually be produced to

lower welfare standards compared with other pig meat product ranges.

Pig in sow stall

sevenven


The Welfare of Farmed Fish

Most supermarket trout and some salmon are slaughtered usingmethods that are unacceptable on welfare grounds. Since the first CIWF

Trust supermarket

survey in 2001, the

proportion of salmon

stunned with carbon

dioxide, a method

condemned on welfare

grounds, has increased

dramatically for ASDA,

Safeway and

Somerfield. On the

positive side, The Co-

operative Group has

now joined Marks &

Spencer and Waitrose

in achieving 100% of salmon slaughtered using more humane percussive

stunning. There has also been some welcome progress by Waitrose, becoming

the first supermarket to achieve 100% of trout slaughtered using the more

humane methods of percussive stunning or electrocution.

Most salmon and trout sold in supermarkets have been reared atstocking densities too high for good welfare. CIWF Trust urges

supermarkets to raise their farmed fish welfare standards by demanding that

suppliers rear fish at much reduced stocking densities, use only humane

slaughter methods, and stop the practice of prolonged pre-slaughter starvation.

The Transport of Animals

Millions of farm animals undergo

transport over long distances across

Europe, simply to be slaughtered at

journey’s end. To protect their

welfare, animals should be

transported over the shortest

possible distances. In principle,

animals for slaughter should be

killed at the nearest available

abattoir. Maximum journey times

should be no more than 8 hours at

the very most for mammals, and 4

hours for birds.

All of the supermarkets questioned set a maximum journey time of 8 hours or

less for red meat animals travelling to slaughter. W M Morrison’s Stores sets the

highest standards overall for red meat animals, with journeys of no more than 4

hours to slaughter allowed for cattle, sheep and pigs.

Maximum journey times for poultry are generally set far too high. Nosupermarket has set an acceptable maximum journey time for spentlaying hens, with two companies allowing journeys up to 12 hours andmany supermarkets not specifying any maximum at all. CIWF Trust urges

all supermarkets to reduce the maximum permitted journey times for all poultry

to 4 hours or less.

CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to ensure that policies on maximum journey

times are equally applicable to imported meat as well as animals produced

domestically.

Fish Farming

Sheep in transit

eight


Exotic and Luxury Animal Products

Exotic animal products are often produced in ways

that cause immense suffering. Examples include

force-feeding geese and ducks to produce

abnormally large livers (foie gras), and cutting the

legs from live frogs (frogs’ legs). Exotic meats are

produced from the farming of essentially wild

animals such as ostrich or emu. In a verywelcome development, none of thesupermarkets surveyed now sell foie gras,frogs’ legs, ostrich or emu meat.

Progress Towards the ‘Ideal Welfare-FriendlySupermarket’

On page 36, CIWF Trust identifies the essential

elements which, if adopted, would establish our

ideal welfare-friendly supermarket. Marks &

Spencer has achieved total compliance with the

greatest number of these individual criteria, and is

the only supermarket to achieve all laying hens

being reared in free range or organic systems, and

no products coming from animals treated with

antibiotic growth promoters or genetically

engineered production enhancers. Waitrose is the only supermarket to achieve

all animals being provided with bedding material, and all animals, including fish,

being slaughtered using humane methods.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

CIWF Trust is seeking to compare the overall performance of the major UK

supermarkets and to monitor their progress toward higher standards of farm

animal welfare. The supermarkets have therefore been ranked on their

responses to the questions, reflecting their performance on key indicators of

animal welfare. These key indicators are based on the elements identified by

CIWF Trust as part of its vision of the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly supermarket. A

table is presented on page 41, showing the overall welfare performance ranking

for each company.

The top 5 supermarkets in 2003, in order of farm animal welfareperformance, are Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, The Co-operative Group,Tesco, and Safeway.

Waitrose therefore receives the CIWF Trust ‘Compassionate Supermarketof the Year 2003-2004’ award.

Farmed ostrich

Joyce D'Silva,CIWF's Chief

Executive presentsStephanie Chafor,Technical Managerat Waitrose with

the CompassionateSupermarket of the

Year 2003-2004'award.


SUPERMARKETS & FARM ANIMAL WELFARESURVEY RESULTS – 2003

The main findings of the 2003 survey are presented here,together with a brief outline of each animal welfare issue.These results will be compared with the results of the first‘Raising the Standard’ survey in 2001 to gaugesupermarket progress on these issues. The informationwas received directly from supermarkets via questionnaireduring the period May-October 2003.

Key

The following symbols appear in the tables:

N/A means “Not Applicable”. This generally means that the company concerned does not sell the product or item.

? means that no data was supplied by the supermarket on that item.

Fresh means meat, milk or eggs that have not been frozen or processed.

The questions and answers incorporated into the final scoring are highlighted

in bold type in the tables

All answers refer to both own label and branded products unless otherwise

indicated

nineFree-range broilers

ten


SUPERMARKET SALES OF ‘OWN LABEL’ AND‘FARM ASSURED’ LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS

‘Own label’ Livestock Products

Supermarket products are usually sold either with the company’s own label or

under that of a branded supplier. Table 1 shows that the vast majority of fresh

meat, milk and eggs sold in supermarkets is sold under company own labels.

Supermarkets have direct control over the standards used to rear animals

destined for sale under their own label, and have a greater capacity to set higher

standards if they so choose.

‘Farm Assured’ Livestock Products

CIWF Trust’s research has shown that the animal welfare standards set by most

farm assurance schemes are inadequate, and ‘farm assured’ cannot therefore be

said to assure good welfare. The vast majority of fresh meat, milk and eggs sold

in supermarkets is produced under nationally recognised farm assurance

schemes. This presents an opportunity for supermarkets to work together with

the assurance scheme certification bodies to encourage the raising of animal

welfare standards within the schemes.

Table 1: SUPERMARKET SALES OF ‘OWN LABEL’ LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS

% Sales volume sold under own label

rather than supplier’s brand label ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Fresh beef 100 99 100 100 100 99 99 100

Fresh sheep meat 100 99 100 100 100 99 99 100

Fresh pork 100 80 100 100 100 100 100 100

Bacon and pig meat sausage 90 65 / 55 100 95 75 / 72 80 70 88

Ham 80 100 100 95 80 95 80 90

Fresh poultry meat 100 95 100 99 98 96 98 98

Fresh milk 100 99 100 96 95 76.7 92 98

Shell eggs 98 99 100 97 99 53.3 85 90

Question asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh meat, milk and eggs is sold as own label/own brand product rather than under the supplier’s brand label?

eleven


Section 1: SUPERMARKET POLICY ANDINVESTMENT IN ANIMAL WELFARE

Supermarket Animal Welfare Policy

CIWF Trust believes that good indicators of the seriousness of a company’s

commitment to farm animal welfare are whether they have a written corporate

policy on animal welfare and whether a board or executive member has been

designated with specific responsibility for this issue. It is a welcome development

that all of the supermarkets questioned now have a written animal welfare policy

and a board level representative with this specific issue in his/her brief.

Every supermarket except Morrison has a policy that imported and domestically

produced meat, milk and eggs must meet the same animal welfare standards.

This is becoming increasingly important as UK and European legislation continue

to raise farm animal welfare standards. For example, when the ban on barren

battery cages for laying hens comes into force across the EU in 2012 it is

essential that the ban is not undermined by imports of cheaper eggs produced

to lower welfare standards. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to make a firm

policy commitment not to accept imported animal products produced in systems

that have been outlawed in the UK/EU on cruelty grounds.

The genetic engineering of farm animals, for example, to grow faster, bigger or

Table 2: SUPERMARKET SALES OF FARM ASSURED LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS

% Sales volume produced under nationally

recognised farm assurance schemes ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Fresh beef ? 99 100 99 100 100 100 100

Fresh sheep meat ? 99 100 85 100 100 100 100

Fresh pig meat ? 80 100 100 100 100 100 100

Fresh poultry meat ? 95 100 100 98 95 100 100

Fresh milk ? 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Shell eggs ? 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh meat (primary product), milk and eggs is produced under nationally recognised farm assurance schemes

(eg. Assured British Meat, Scottish Food Quality Certification, Farm Assured Welsh Livestock, Assured Chicken Production, National Dairy Farm Assured, BEIC Lion Quality), or

other recognised schemes operating to equivalent standards?

Table 3: SUPERMARKET FARM ANIMAL WELFARE POLICY

ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Board or executive member for animal welfare? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Written corporate animal welfare policy? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Same animal welfare standards for imported products? Yes Yes Yes ? Yes Yes (within limits of Yes Yes

what can be achieved given different

standards)

Policy not to stock products from genetically engineered/cloned animals? Yes* Yes Yes No Yes* Yes* Yes* Yes*

Policy includes progeny/descendants of animals subject to genetic engineering or cloning? Yes Yes Yes ? Yes ? Yes Yes

Questions asked:

• Has your company appointed a main Board/Executive member with specific responsibility for farm animal welfare?

• Does your company have a written corporate farm animal welfare policy with objectives?

• Does your company have any policy that imported meat/dairy/egg products are produced from animals reared to the same welfare standards as those

produced nationally?

• Does your company have a policy commitment not to stock any meat, milk and eggs from farm animals subject to genetic engineering, and if so, does

this i. apply equally to branded as well as own label products, and ii. include a commitment not to stock products from the progeny or descendants

of animals subjected to genetic engineering or cloning?

* Data refer to own label products only

twelve


leaner, threatens to unleash a new wave of serious welfare problems by pushing

animals to ever more extreme and unsustainable levels of production. CIWF

Trust believes it is important that supermarkets have a clear policy not to stock

produce from genetically engineered animals. Table 3 reveals that all except one

of the supermarkets questioned have such a policy in place. However, in most

cases this policy only applies to ‘own label’ products. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to extend this commitment to included branded products.


Investment in Animal Welfare Research

The commitment to improving animal welfare standards demonstrated by some

supermarkets through their investment in research is very encouraging. Most

supermarkets were unable to provide an accurate figure for the amount invested

in animal welfare research over the past 12 months. However, Co-op, M&S,

Safeway, Tesco and Waitrose were able to provide details of projects that they

have participated in by providing funding or technical staff. CIWF Trust

welcomes the investment by these supermarkets in animal welfare research and

urges all supermarkets to follow their lead and take a more active role in

improving animal welfare.

Section 2: THE WELFARE OF BROILER (MEAT)CHICKENS In terms of the number of individual animals produced annually, broiler chickens

reared for meat represent the largest area of factory farming in the UK. The vast

majority of the 800 million broiler chickens reared each year in the UK are

crammed together, many thousands of birds in each barren shed. They are kept

at such high stocking densities that the birds quickly carpet the floor of the shed.

Stocking densities for broiler chickens are often expressed in terms of the

number of kilograms of birds reared per square metre of floor space. UK

government guidelines specify a maximum of 34 kg/m2. CIWF Trust believes this

is set much too high for good welfare. However, table 5 shows that most

supermarkets will accept chickens crammed

at stocking densities of 38 kg bird/m2. Only

M&S insist that their suppliers meet the

government guidelines on stocking density.

Consumers can choose a more humanely

reared bird by buying free range or

organically produced chickens. All of the

supermarkets surveyed report selling these

alternatives, and over a third of the chickens

sold by Waitrose come from these higher

welfare systems.

Table 4: SUPERMARKET INVESTMENT IN IMPROVING FARM ANIMAL WELFARE


Number of farm animal welfare research projects in past 12 months ? 8 29 ? 2 0 10+ 20

Amount invested in farm animal

welfare research in the past 12 months ? ? ? ? £15000 £0 £21400 ?

Questions asked:

• How many research projects on farm animal welfare is your company currently participating in, or has it participated in over the past 12 months, as a

strategic partner (by providing either funding or technical staff)?

• How much has your company invested in research on farm animal welfare in the past 12 months? Free-range broilers

thirteen

fourteen


Broiler chickens have been bred to grow so quickly that their heart, lungs and

bones often cannot keep pace. As a result, many suffer painful and crippling

lameness. A technique called ‘gait scoring’ can be used to assess the degree of

lameness. The higher the score, the more lame the bird, with a score of 5

indicating that the bird is able to move around only with great difficulty. Birds

with a gait score of 3 to 5 are likely to be in considerable pain. CIWF Trust urges

all supermarkets to require their suppliers to adopt gait scoring as a means of

assessing the incidence of lameness in their flocks.

Table 5: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF BROILER CHICKENS


Intensive 99.8** 95 88 99 98 99.1 95 63

Semi-intensive (e.g. Freedom Food) 0** <5 0 0 0 0 0 0

Free range/organic 0.2** <1 12 1 2 0.9 5 37

Absolute maximum stocking density (kg/m2) 38** 38 34 38 38 38 38 38

Suppliers required to keep records ? Yes* Yes No No (records Yes* Yes* Yesof lameness to gait score 3-5? include culls

and reason)

% Birds with gait score 3-5 in ? <2 (includes 0.48 ? ? <5 0.39 <2past 12 months more than gait

score 3-5)

Questions asked:

• Of the total UK sales volume (both own label and branded) of fresh and frozen chicken sold by your company (both whole birds and chicken joints),

what proportion is made up of i. standard intensive broiler chickens, ii. free range broiler chickens, iii. organically reared broiler chickens, and iv. other

non-intensively reared broiler chickens (e.g. Freedom Food)?

• Does your company insist on an absolute maximum (as opposed to planned maximum) chicken stocking density from its suppliers of broiler chickens

reared for meat (both UK-produced and imported), and if so, what is the absolute maximum insisted upon?

• Does your company require its suppliers/farms to keep comprehensive records of the percentage of each flock affected by lameness to gait score 3-5 (including those

culled), and if so, does this apply to both branded and unbranded products?

• What was the average percentage of each flock affected by lameness to gait score 3-5 (including those culled) on your suppliers’ farms during the past 12 months?

* Data refer to own label product only ** 2001 data

% Fresh and frozen chicken from broilers reared in eachsystem


Section 3: THE WELFARE OF LAYING HENSBattery cages are tiny barren cages in which laying hens cannot exercise or even

flap their wings. This system has been the subject of many years of intense

public and political campaigning by CIWF and other organisations, which

resulted in the EU voting to prohibit barren battery cages by 2012. However,

the danger of battery eggs being imported into the UK, either as eggs in shell or

as liquid or dried egg for processing, will remain after the anticipated EU cage

ban. Also, it is possible that conventional battery cages will be replaced by so-

called ‘enriched’ cages. These contain a nest, litter and ‘claw-shortening devices’

Table 6: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF LAYING HENS


Battery cage 66 59 0 75 48 73.9 40 0(Kwik Save 93.2)

Barn/perchery 5 0 0 0 24.4 1.8 36 10

Free range/organic 28 41 100 25 27.6 24.6 24 90

Target date for selling only No Yes Achieved No No No No Achievednon-cage shell eggs? (no date given) (Sept 1997) (1999)

Policy of not selling eggs produced in ‘enriched’ cages? No Yes Yes No No No No Yes

% Processed egg-containing foods made using non-cage eggs ? <5* 100 0 ? ? 2* 20

Target date for using only non-cage No No Achieved No No No No Yes egg ingredient in processed foods? (Sept 2003) (Dec 2004)

% Battery eggs clearly labelled 100 100 N/a 100 100 100 100 N/a

Questions asked:

• Of the total UK sales volume of shell eggs sold by your company (own label and branded) in the UK each year, what percentage is made up of i. battery cage produced eggs, ii. eggs from non-cage alternatives (barn, free range, etc.)?

• Of your company’s total UK sales volume of alternative shell eggs, what proportion is produced using the following non-cage production systems: i. free range, ii. barn/perchery, iii. others (please specify)?

• Has your company set a target date by which it intends to cease selling both own label and branded battery eggs?• Does your company have a policy of not stocking eggs produced in ‘enriched’ cages?• Of your company’s total UK sales volume of processed and ready-made meal products containing egg ingredient, what proportion currently uses egg

ingredient from non-cage alternatives (barn, free range, etc.)?• Has your company set a target date by which it intends to use only non-cage egg ingredient throughout its total sales volume of processed and ready-

made meals containing egg ingredient?• What proportion of battery eggs (both own label and branded) sold in your company’s stores is labelled using the clear, factual labelling term ‘Eggs from Caged Hens’?* Data refer to own label product only

% Shell eggsproduced in each system

fifteen


but still provide insufficient space for the

hens to perform many basic movements,

let alone achieve any meaningful exercise.

CIWF Trust encourages all supermarkets to

increase their proportion of non-cage egg

sales to 100%. In addition, supermarkets

should insist on non-cage egg ingredient

in ready-made meals and processed egg

products throughout their product range.

Marks & Spencer is the first UK

supermarket to sell only free range eggs,

both in shell and as egg ingredient in its

entire range of processed foods and ready

made meals. Waitrose sells only non-cage

eggs in shell and has set a target date of December 2004 to eliminate all cage

egg ingredient from its entire sales volume of processed foods and ready-made

meals.

Section 4: THE WELFARE OF TURKEYS ANDDUCKS Intensive turkey production entails up to tens of thousands of birds being

crowded into each shed in conditions similar to broiler chickens. A semi-

intensive farming method for turkeys is to raise them in pole barns – densely

stocked sheds, but with natural light and ventilation. Ducks too are generally

reared intensively in barren sheds, and denied access to water for swimming.

Most supermarkets offer the more humane alternatives of free range or organic

turkeys, at least over the Christmas period. Only Waitrose sell free range ducks.

CIWF Trust welcomes the fact that no supermarkets report selling meat from bill-

trimmed ducks, but urges all supermarkets to offer consumers a free range

alternative to intensively reared ducks.

sixteen

Table 7: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF TURKEYS

% Fresh and frozen turkeys ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose reared in each system

Intensive ~100 25 73 100 70 30 45 62

Pole barns 0 70 0 0 28 70 45 0

Free range/organic Xmas line 5 27 0 2 0 10 38

Question asked:

• Of the total UK sales volume (both own label and branded) of fresh and frozen turkey sold by your company (both whole birds and turkey joints),

what proportion is made up of i. standard intensively reared turkeys ii. pole-barn reared turkeys iii. free range turkeys and iv. organically reared turkeys?

Free-range hens

seventeen


Table 8: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF DUCKS


Intensive 100 0 100 100 100 100 0 60

Semi-intensive 0 100 0 0 0 0 100 0(e.g. Freedom Food) (low density open-sided barns) (Freedom Food)

Free range/organic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40

% Ducks bill-trimmed ? 0 0 0 0* 0 0 0

Questions asked:

• Of the total UK sales volume of fresh and frozen duck (both own label and branded) sold by your company, what proportion is made up of i.

intensively reared ducks and ii. free range ducks?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh and frozen ducks (both own label and branded) was bill-trimmed during rearing?

* Data refer to own label product only

% Fresh andfrozen ducksreared ineach system

Free-range turkeyIntensively farmed ducks

eighteen


Section 5: THE WELFARE OF PIGS

Breeding Sows

In 1999, the UK banned the use of narrow sow stalls and tethers for pregnant

pigs. In this system, sows spend their four-month pregnancy caged in a narrow

sow stall or chained in a row by a heavy tether around their necks. The EU has

agreed to ban the prolonged use of sow stalls from 2013, whilst tethering will

be illegal from 2006. CIWF believes that supermarkets should support these

newly raised welfare standards by ensuring that any pig meat they sell has not

been produced by a sow confined in a stall or tether system. This survey found

that one fifth of the pig meat sold by Morrison under their own label is

produced from the progeny of sows kept in stall systems. Particularly shocking is

that this includes nearly half (44%) of their premium range of own label ham.

Co-op and Somerfield are also still selling a small proportion of stall and tether-

produced pig meat under their own label. Most companies did not supply data

for branded pig meat.

Intensively reared sows often spend motherhood behind bars as well. When

near to giving birth (farrowing), the heavily pregnant sow is moved to a

farrowing crate. Here she will stay until her piglets are weaned at around four

weeks old. This is another system in which sows are unable to exercise or turn

around. Table 9 shows that the majority of pig meat for most supermarkets is

still produced from sows that have given birth and nursed their piglets in

farrowing crates. However, all supermarkets sell some pig meat produced using

more humane non-crate indoor systems or outdoor farrowing without crates,

including over three quarters of the pig meat sold by Waitrose, and around a

third of that sold by ASDA, Co-op, Safeway, Somerfield and Tesco. CIWF Trust

urges all supermarkets to encourage their suppliers to abandon the use of

farrowing crates altogether.

Bedding material such as

straw is important for

the welfare of sows.

They naturally spend a

large proportion of their

time rooting around,

chewing and

investigating their

surroundings. Where

sows are housed indoors,

straw gives them the

material to fulfil these

needs. It also provides a more comfortable lying area for these heavy animals,

and can help to keep them warm. The survey found that all of the pig meat

sold by ASDA and Waitrose, and most of that sold by M&S, Morrison and

Somerfield is produced from sows supplied with bedding material. Only around

half of the pig meat sold by Co-op, Safeway and Tesco comes from sows in

straw-bedded units. CIWF Trust believes that all pigs should be provided with

suitable bedding material.

The most welfare-friendly rearing

system is a well-managed outdoor

farm. Outdoor bred pig meat now

accounts for at least a quarter of pig

meat sales for all the supermarkets

surveyed, including around three

quarters or more of sales for

Safeway, Somerfield and Waitrose.

CIWF Trust welcomes the general

increase in outdoor production since

the last survey and encourages all

supermarkets to continue this trend.

Mother and piglets in farrowing crate

Pig with adequate bedding material


nineteen

Table 9: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF BREEDING SOWS

ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison* Safeway* Somerfield* Tesco* Waitrose

% Fresh pig meat produced 0* 0.6* 0 20 0 <1 0 0 using sow stalls/tethers (stall only)

Close confinement *70** 64.9 93 90 60 80 66 21farrowing crate

Non-crate alternative *5** 11.4 0 3 0 0 <1 6 indoor system

Outdoor farrowing *25** 23.7 7 7 35 30 33 73 without crates (fresh pork

~20*)

% Fresh pig meat produced *100** 57 89 88 50 95 55 100from sows provided with bedding material

% Fresh pig meat produced 25** 47.4* 45 64 85 70 36 75 from sows kept outdoors (outdoor bred)

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK pig meat sales volume (both own label and branded, fresh and processed pig meat, and pig meat ingredient in ready-made meals) is produced from the progeny of breeding sows kept in stall or tether systems?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh pork, bacon and ham (both own label and branded) is produced using the following farrowing systems for farrowing and lactating sows: i. close confinement farrowing crates, ii. non-crate indoor alternatives whereby sows can turn around, iii. outdoor farrowing without crates?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh pork, bacon and ham (both own label and branded) is produced from sows provided with bedding material such as straw?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume (both own label and branded) of fresh pork, bacon and ham is produced from breeding sows kept outdoors (outdoor bred)?


% Fresh pigmeatproducedusing eachfarrowingsystem

twenty


Fattening Pigs Reared for Slaughter

Bedding material is important to provide comfort and to allow the animals to

exercise their exploratory behaviours. Where straw is absent, this can provide a

barren environment for the pigs and can lead to problems with so-called ‘vices’

such as piglets biting each other’s tails. Tail docking is used to help prevent

piglets biting each other’s tails. Similarly, teeth clipping is often carried out in an

effort to stop injuries from fighting piglets or to the sow’s teats. Scientific and

practical evidence shows that by keeping the pigs in better conditions, the ‘need’

for tail docking can be eliminated. The EU Directive on pigs requires, as of Jan

2003, the provision of manipulable materials such as straw for pigs. Tail docking

is also not permitted to be undertaken routinely. Our survey reveals serious

questions about the implementation of these legal requirements.

Table 10: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FATTENING PIGS

ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison* Safeway* Somerfield* Tesco Waitrose

Tail docking *80** 74.4 87 ? 68 55 82* 2 (on veterinary advice)

Teeth clipping *85** 62.8 20 ? 65 50 72* 12 (on veterinary advice)

Castration ? 7.7 52 ? 35 15 4* 9 (on veterinary advice)

% Fresh pig meat produced from ~20 32.7 62 88 50 90 55* 100 fattening pigs provided with bedding material

% Fresh pig meat produced from 0** 1.5 2 19 65 0 2 20 pigs bred and reared outdoors (spend >50% of(outdoor reared/free range) of life outdoors)

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh pork, bacon and ham (both own label and branded) is produced from pigs reared for slaughter that have been subjected to the following procedures (including that proportion of pigs for which the procedure was carried out on veterinary advice): i. tail docking, ii. teeth clipping, iii. castration?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh pork, bacon and ham (both own label and branded) is produced from pigs reared for slaughter that are provided with bedding material such as straw throughout the rearing phase?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume (both own label and branded) of fresh pork, bacon and ham is produced from pigs for slaughter that have been both bred and reared outdoors (outdoor reared, ie. fattening pigs reared outdoors after weaning)?

* Data refers to own label product only ** 2001 data

% Fresh pigmeat producedfrom fatteningpigs subjectedto mutilations

twenty one


Table 10 shows that all of the pig meat sold by Waitrose, and most of that sold

by Morrison and Somerfield, comes from straw-based rearing systems.

Unfortunately, the proportion of pigs provided with bedding material has fallen

to only around one fifth for ASDA and about one third for Co-op. Despite the

ban on routine tail docking of piglets, the majority of the pig meat sold by most

supermarkets still comes from pigs that have been tail docked. Only Waitrose

has achieved a welcome low of just 2% of pigs being subjected to this

mutilation. Over half of the pig meat sold by most supermarkets is from pigs

that have had their teeth clipped. The proportion is rather lower for M&S and

Waitrose, at one fifth and 12% respectively. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets

to insist that their suppliers provide pigs with bedding material to create an

environment that eliminates the perceived ‘need’ for these mutilations. Most

supermarkets also sell some pig meat from pigs that have been castrated, with

around half of that sold by M&S coming from castrated pigs.

Outdoor pig farms often breed the piglets in the open air. However, many are

then subsequently reared indoors. Co-op, M&S and Tesco report selling a small

proportion of pig meat from pigs that have been both bred and reared

outdoors, and one fifth of the pig meat sold by Morrison (‘own label’ only) and

Waitrose comes from these higher welfare outdoor rearing systems. Around

two thirds of the pig meat sold by Safeway is from pigs that have spent at least

half of their lives outdoors.

Section 6: THE WELFARE OF CATTLE

Beef Cattle

Two key indicators of the potential for high welfare in cattle rearing systems are

whether the animals are provided with straw bedding and allowed access to the

outdoors, at least during the grazing season. Table 11 shows that most

supermarkets reported that cattle are generally given bedding material when

housed. Only Co-op still has just 5-10% of its beef from straw-housed animals.

Permanently indoor-housed cattle account for around 10% of fresh beef sales for

Tesco, and less than 5% for ASDA, Co-op and Waitrose. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to ensure that standards insist on the provision of bedding, and

that all cattle have access to the outdoors.

In view of the birthing difficulties associated with ‘double-muscled’ breeds of

cattle, such as the Belgian Blue, CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to follow the

lead of M&S on this issue by making a policy commitment not to accept beef

from these breeds.

Beef cattle

twenty two


Table 11: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF BEEF CATTLE

ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway* Somerfield* Tesco* Waitrose

Indoors permanently <5 <5* 0 0 0 0 9.5 2 (will be 0 (zero grazing) by end of 2003)

Indoors with daytime ? 0 0 0 0 100 90 0outdoor access during grazing season

Outdoors permanently ? >95 100 100 100 0 0 0 during grazing season

Outdoors permanently 0 <5* 0 0 0 0 0.5 98 throughout the year (or very limited)

% Fresh beef from cattle provided 60 5 – 10 90 100 100 100 90 100with bedding material when housed

% Fresh beef from double muscled 1 <5 0 0 5 5 10 0 breeds (eg. Belgian Blue)

Policy of not accepting beef from No No Yes No No No No ? double muscled breeds?

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh beef (both own label and branded) is produced from cattle reared i. in permanent indoor housing (including during the grazing season), ii. in indoor housing with daytime access to the outdoors during the grazing season, and iii. outdoors permanently?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh beef (both own label and branded) is produced from housed cattle provided with bedding material such as straw?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh beef (both own label and branded) is produced from slaughter cattle from double-muscled breeds such as the Belgian Blue?

• Does your company have a policy of not accepting beef produced from double-muscled cattle such as the Belgian Blue breed?


% Freshbeeffromcattlekept ineachsystem


Dairy Cattle

High welfare systems for dairy cows should provide daytime access to the

outdoors during the grazing season, and ensure that all cows have clean, dry

bedding material. When housed, the cows should have freedom to move

around and exercise. These standards appear to be met for the vast majority of

dairy cows producing fresh milk for the supermarkets questioned. However,

there are small proportions of cows producing milk for Safeway, Somerfield and

Tesco that are tethered in the cowshed or kept in highly intensive ‘zero grazing’

systems where the cows are kept indoors permanently. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to insist that their suppliers

abandon these practices altogether. CIWF Trust

welcomes the fact that no supermarkets report

selling dairy products from cows treated with

the genetically engineered production enhancer,

Bovine Somatotropin (BST). Although banned

from sale in the EU, BST could have been used

on imported dairy produce (e.g. from the

United States).

Table 12: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF DAIRY CATTLE


Indoors permanently 0 0 0 0 0.5 0.1 0.6 0 (zero grazing)

Tethered indoors with 0 0 0 0 0.5 0.5 0.4 0 untethered daily exercise

Housed without tethering 100 <5 100 100 99 99.3 99 100with outdoor access during grazing season

% Own label fresh milk from dairy 100 95 100 100 99.5 99.7 100 100cattle provided with bedding material when housed

% Dairy products produced using BST ? 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh milk is produced from cows that are i. kept on a zero-grazing basis (ie. kept permanently within the shed/yard without access to the outdoors during the grazing season), ii. tied/tethered within the cowshed but given untethered exercise on a daily basis, or iii. housed in yards or cubicle sheds, without being tied/tethered, and are given access to outdoor pasture during the grazing season?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh milk is produced from cows that are provided with bedding material such as straw in the covered housing or yard?

• Of your company’s total UK sales volume of dairy products, including ice cream, what proportion has been produced using the genetically engineered growth hormone, Bovine Somatotropin (BST)?

% Ownlabel freshmilk fromdairy cattlekept ineachsystem

twenty three

Dairy cattle

Table 13: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON VEAL CALF WELFARE

ASDA* Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Veal crates N/a N/a 0 N/a 0 N/a 0 0

Non-straw based N/a N/a 100 N/a 100 N/a 100 0 group housing (partially slatted, (e.g. slatted floor) some bedding)

Straw-based group N/a N/a 0 N/a 0 N/a 0 100 housing

% Fresh veal from calves group N/a N/a 0 N/a 100 N/a 100 100 housed throughout entire rearing period

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh veal (both own label and branded) comes from each of the following production systems: i. veal crates, ii. non-straw-based group housing (slatted floors, no bedding), iii. straw-based group housing?

• Of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh veal reared in group housing, what proportion is produced from calves kept in groups throughout the entire rearing period including the first few weeks of life?

* 2001 data

% Freshveal fromcalvesreared ineachsystem

twenty four


Section 7: EXOTIC/LUXURY ANIMAL PRODUCTSAND THE WELFARE OF OTHER FARMED ANIMALS

Veal Calves

None of the supermarkets questioned sell veal produced in veal crates. This is very

welcome as this system involves confining the calves in narrow individual crates in

darkened sheds where they are unable to exercise or even turn around and are

denied social contact. It is a system that was banned in the UK in 1990 following a

campaign led by CIWF, and will be banned in the EU from 2007. For good welfare,

calves should be provided with bedding material and housed in groups throughout

the rearing period. Of the four

supermarkets that sell veal, only Waitrose

meets both of these requirements for all

calves. M&S is the only supermarket to

sell veal produced in systems where the

calves are kept separately for the first

weeks of life. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets that sell veal to insist that

suppliers use straw-based group housing

throughout the entire rearing period. Veal calves on straw

Table 14: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FARMED DEER


Shot in the field 0 N/a 0 N/a 0 N/a 0 0

Dedicated deer 100 N/a 100 N/a 0 N/a 100 100 abattoir

Standard red meat 0 N/a 0 N/a 100 N/a 0 0 abattoir

Question asked:

• Does your company sell meat from farmed deer, and if so, what proportion is produced from animals slaughtered i. on-farm by being shot in the field,ii. in a dedicated deer slaughterhouse not used for the killing of other red meat animals or iii. in standard red meat abattoirs?

% Venison fromfarmed deerslaughtered byeach method

twenty five


Farmed Deer

Welfare concerns remain about the farming of deer, especially with regard to the

method of slaughter. Deer require specially designed facilities for slaughter to

minimise the stress caused by handling, and should therefore be slaughtered in a

dedicated deer slaughterhouse or shot by a skilled marksman in the field of

rearing. Farmed deer is sold by five supermarkets: ASDA, M&S, Safeway, Tesco

and Waitrose. All except Safeway use dedicated deer slaughterhouses.

Intensively farmed deer


Table 15: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF QUAIL


Intensive N/a N/a N/a N/a 100* N/a 100 100

Extensive N/a N/a N/a N/a 0* N/a 0 0

Cages N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 100 20

Loose N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a 0 80 housing

Questions asked:

• Does your company sell farmed quail meat, and if so, what proportion of the total sales volume (both own label and branded) is produced i. intensively and ii. extensively?

• Does your company sell farmed quail eggs, and if so, what proportion of the total sales volume (both own label and branded) is produced from i. caged quail and ii. quail kept in loose housing (such as deep litter)?


% Farmed quail meatproduced in each system

% Quail eggs producedin each system

Quail

The tiny game bird, quail, is also farmed intensively. These farms often resemble

miniature versions of the intensive systems used for chicken and egg production.

Safeway, Tesco and Waitrose sell quail meat, all intensively farmed. Tesco and

Waitrose also sell quail eggs. Only Waitrose sells quail eggs from higher welfare

loose housing systems, accounting for over three quarters of their sales. CIWF

Trust urges all supermarkets selling quail meat and eggs to source these products

from less intensive systems with the potential for higher welfare.

Other Farmed Species and Exotic/Luxury Animal Products

Farmed rabbits are also usually reared intensively in barren wire cages. Exotic and

luxury animal products are often produced in ways that cause immense suffering.

Examples include force-feeding geese and ducks to produce abnormally large

livers (foie gras), and cutting the legs from live frogs (frogs’ legs). Exotic meats

are produced from the farming of essentially wild animals such as ostrich or emu.

It is a very welcome development that none of the supermarkets surveyed now

sell farmed rabbit meat, foie gras, frogs’ legs, ostrich or other ratite meat.

Table 16: SUPERMARKET SALES OF OTHER FARMED SPECIES AND EXOTIC/LUXURY ANIMAL PRODUCTS


Foie gras sold? No No No No No No No No

Frogs’ legs sold? No No No No No No No No

Ostrich/other ratite meat sold? No No No No No No No No

Rabbit meat sold? No No No No No No No No

Question asked:• Does your company sell the following at any time during the year: i. foie gras or products containing foie gras, ii. frogs’ legs, iii. ostrich meat, or

meat from other ratites (eg. emu), iv. rabbit meat?

twenty six


Section 8: LIVESTOCK MARKETS, TRANSPORTAND SLAUGHTER

Livestock Markets

Livestock markets are traditional collection points where large numbers of farm

animals, such as sheep, cattle, pigs and horses, are bought and sold. Markets are

noisy, confusing and highly stressful places for animals. Pens are often

overstocked, and the animals handled roughly, and deprived of food and water.

The welfare of the animals is better protected, and the risk of spreading disease is

reduced, if they are spared market day. Table 17 shows that in general, the

proportion of meat animals sourced from livestock markets remains at a welcome

low level. Since the first CIWF Trust supermarket survey in 2001, Safeway has

joined M&S and Waitrose in having dispensed with markets entirely for own label

meat. However, Morrison still source around half of their beef and sheep meat

from livestock markets. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to abandon the use of

livestock markets altogether.

Table 17: PROPORTION OF SUPERMARKET OWN LABEL FRESH MEAT SOURCED FROM LIVESTOCK MARKETS


Beef 5 <5 0 40 0 <1 0 0

Sheep meat 15 <5 0 60 0 <20 20 0

Pig meat 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Question asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total sales volume of own label fresh i. beef, ii. sheep meat and iii. pig meat is produced from animals sourced through physical livestock auction marts in the past 12 months?

twenty seven

Sheep at market

twenty eight


Livestock Transport

The long distance transport of animals for slaughter or further fattening is a

major public issue in the UK and Europe. Millions of farm animals undergo

transport over long distances across Europe, simply to be slaughtered at journey’s

end. To protect their welfare, animals should be transported over the shortest

possible distances. In principle, animals for slaughter should be killed at the

nearest available abattoir. Supermarkets can play a role in improving the situation

by insisting on the lowest possible maximum journey times for animals travelling

to slaughter. Maximum journey times should be no more than 8 hours at the

very most for mammals, and 4 hours for birds. It is essential that policies on

maximum journey times apply equally to imported meat as well as that produced

domestically. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to join Co-op, M&S, Safeway,

Tesco and Waitrose in setting the same standards for the transport of both red

meat animals and poultry for imported and domestically produced meat.

Table 18 reveals that all supermarkets surveyed set a maximum journey time of 8

hours or less for red meat animals travelling to slaughter. Morrison set the

highest standards overall for red meat animals, with journeys of no more than 4

hours to slaughter allowed for cattle, sheep and pigs, and this standard was

matched by Co-op for pigs.

Maximum journey times for poultry are generally set far too high. Satisfactory

maximums are set by Co-op for broiler chickens, turkeys and ducks (all 4 hours), by

Morrison for turkeys (3 hours), and by Somerfield for broiler chickens (4 hours). It is

very disappointing that no supermarket set an acceptable maximum for spent laying

hens, with two companies allowing journeys up to 12 hours and many

supermarkets not specifying any maximum at all. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets

to reduce their maximum permitted journey times for all poultry to 4 hours or less.

Despite the long journeys allowed for the majority of poultry by most supermarkets,

it is reassuring that the actual average journey times to slaughter are generally much

lower than the maximums set for both red meat animals and poultry.

Sheep in transporter

twenty nine


Table 18: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON WELFARE DURING TRANSPORT

Journey times (hours) ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Cattle Maximum 8** 6 8 4 6 8 8 8 Average ? 3 - 4 1h 42min 1.5 3 3 2.5 2

Sheep Maximum 8** 6 8 4 6 8 8 8 Average ? 3 - 4 2h 14min 2 3 3 3 1.5 – 2

Pigs Maximum 7.5 – 8** 4 8 4 6 8 8 8 Average ? 1 - 2 2h 41min 2 2 2.5 2.5 1

Same policy for red meat Must comply withanimal transport outside UK? national legislation** Yes Yes ? Yes No Yes Yes

Broiler Maximum 12** 4 8 9 8 4 8 8 chickens Average ? 1 - 2 2h 8min 1 6 2 3 2.5

Spent laying Maximum ? ? 12 ? 12 ? 8 8 hens Average ? ? 4h 41min ? 8 ? 4 3

Turkeys Maximum 7** 4 8 3 8 5 8 8 Average ? 1 – 2 2h 32min 1.5 4 2 3 2

Ducks Maximum 8** 4 8 8 8 8 4 8 Average ? 1 – 2 2h 11min 1 3 4 2 2

Same policy for poultry Must comply withtransport outside UK? national legislation** Yes Yes ? Yes Yes Yes Yes

Welfare policy covering poultry ? Yes Yes No Yes To ACP Yes Yes catching/transport? standards

Questions asked:

• What is the total maximum journey time from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, allowed by your company for i. cattle, ii. sheep andiii. pigs (hours), and does this policy apply to meat imported from animals being transported for slaughter in non-UK countries as well as the UK?

• What is the average journey time that i. cattle, ii. sheep and iii. pigs travel from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, for your company?• What is the total maximum journey time from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, allowed by your company for i. broiler chickens, ii.

spent laying hens, iii. turkeys and iv. ducks (hours), and does this policy apply equally to imported poultry being transported for slaughter in non-UK countries as well as the UK?

• What is the average journey time that broiler chickens, spent laying hens, turkeys and ducks travel from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, for your company?

• Does your company have a welfare policy covering the catching of poultry and subsequent transport (eg. stocking densities in transport cages)?

* Assured Chicken Production farm assurance scheme ** 2001 data

thirty


Slaughter

It is very welcome to see that for all supermarkets selling meat from animals

slaughtered by religious methods, 100% of these animals are stunned before

slaughter.

Section 9: THE WELFARE OF FARMED FISH

Farmed Salmon

Most farmed salmon are reared intensively. Table 20 shows that most salmon

reared in sea cages are kept at a stocking density of 15-20 kg of fish per cubic

metre of water. That is equivalent to each salmon measuring three quarters of a

metre long (2.5 feet) being allocated a bathtub of water. Serious welfare

problems arise from rearing too many fish in each cage.

Another major welfare concern for farmed fish is the slaughter method used.

Percussive stunning is the more humane method. However, some supermarket

salmon are slaughtered using carbon dioxide stunning before having their gills

cut, a method condemned by CIWF Trust on welfare grounds. It is disappointing

to see that the proportion of

salmon slaughtered using this

inhumane method has actually

increased dramatically for

ASDA, Safeway and Somerfield

since the first CIWF Trust

supermarket survey in 2001.

On the positive side, Co-op has

now joined M&S and Waitrose

in achieving 100% of salmon

slaughtered using the more

humane percussive stun.

Table 19: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON WELFARE AT SLAUGHTER

ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield* Tesco Waitrose

Ritually slaughtered red meat sold? Yes Yes No No Yes No No Yes

Ritually slaughtered poultry sold? Yes No No No Yes No No No

Beef N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a ?

Sheep meat 100 100 N/a N/a 100 N/a N/a 100

Chicken meat 100 N/a N/a N/a 100 N/a N/a N/a

Turkey meat N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a N/a

Question asked:

• If your company sells red meat and/or poultry (own label or branded) from animals that have been ritually slaughtered, what proportion of total UK sales volume of ritually slaughtered meat (both fresh and frozen) is produced from animals subject to pre-slaughter stunning: i. beef, ii. sheep meat, iii. chicken meat, iv. turkey meat?


% Rituallyslaughtered freshand frozen meatfrom animalssubject to pre-slaughter stunning

Fish farm

thirty one


Salmon are often starved for 7-14 days before slaughter. This is carried out to

empty the fish’s gut for food hygiene reasons. However, experts suggest that

only 24-72 hours of starvation is needed to achieve gut clearance. Since the last

survey, Co-op and M&S have reduced the starvation period before slaughter for

their salmon to 3 days, matching the higher welfare standard on this issue

already achieved by Safeway and Waitrose.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to raise their standards of welfare by demanding

that suppliers rear salmon at much reduced stocking densities, use only humane

slaughter methods, and stop the practice of prolonged pre-slaughter starvation.

Co-op, M&S, Tesco and Waitrose sell organic salmon, with over a quarter of

salmon sold by Waitrose coming from this higher welfare system.

Table 20: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FARMED SALMON


At freshwater ? No 15 ? ? ? ? 30 - 40parr stage maximum (organic 10) (organic 10-15)

In seawater 20 - 25 20 15 10 - 20 15 - 20 15 - 20 25 15 (organic 10)cages/pens (typically <15)

% Organically produced 0** <5 10 ? 0* 0 3* 27

Starvation period before 7 - 15 3 3 7 3 10 7 - 10 1 - 4 slaughter (days)

Mechanical 60 100 95 84 45 29 38 90 percussive stun

Manual 0 100 5 1 10 33 20 10 percussive stun

Carbon dioxide 40 0 0 15 45 38 42 0 stunning

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh farmed salmon (both own label and branded) is slaughtered in the following ways:i. percussive stun using a mechanical stunner, ii. percussive stun using a manual ‘priest’, iii. electrocution, iv. carbon dioxide stunning, v. asphyxiation by air, vi. other methods (please specify)?

• Under normal circumstances, how many days would the farmed salmon for your company be starved before slaughter?

• Does your company insist on a maximum fish stocking density from its farmed salmon suppliers, and what is this maximum i. at freshwater parr stage and ii. in seawater cages or pens (kg salmon/metre3 of water)?


Maximumstockingdensity(kg/m3)

% Killed byeachstunning/slaughtermethod

thirty two


Farmed Trout

Freshwater trout are usually reared in earth ponds or tanks with fast-flowing

water known as raceways. They are generally stocked at a density of 30

kilograms of fish per cubic metre of water. That is equivalent to giving a dozen

trout, each measuring a foot long, a bathtub of water. Several supermarkets said

their suppliers use stocking densities that can be much higher even than this.

Most supermarket trout were found by the survey to be slaughtered using methods

that are not acceptable on welfare grounds. Suffocation in air or on ice, both

methods that cause the fish to suffer for a prolonged time before becoming

unconscious, have been condemned by the UK Government’s advisory Farm Animal

Welfare Council. There has been some welcome progress by Waitrose since the

2001 survey, becoming the first supermarket to achieve 100% of trout slaughtered

using the more humane methods of percussive stunning or electrocution.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to raise their standards of welfare by

demanding that suppliers rear trout at much reduced stocking densities and use

only humane slaughter methods. ASDA, Co-op, Tesco and Waitrose report

selling organic trout, with half of the trout sold by Co-op and one fifth of the

those sold by Waitrose coming from this less intensive system.

Table 21: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FARMED TROUT


Maximum stocking density (kg/m3) ? 30 20 28 - 45 30 50 - 58 60 (small trout), 28(organic 20) 20 (large trout) (organic 10)

% Organically produced 1** 50 0 0 0* 0 0.5* 20

Mechanical percussive stun 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 20

Manual percussive stun 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0

Electrocution 0 50 0 26 0 0 5 80

Carbon dioxide (CO2) stunning 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0

Asphyxiation in air 100 50 0 71 10 100 0 0

Asphyxiation on ice 0 0 0 0 90 0 0 0

Other 100 85 Hypothermia Live chilling, then

CO2 /gill slit

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh farmed trout (both own label and branded) is slaughtered in the following ways: i.percussive stun using a mechanical stunner, ii. percussive stun using a manual ‘priest’, iii. electrocution, iv. carbon dioxide stunning, v. asphyxiation in air, vi. asphyxiation on ice, vii. other methods (please specify)?

• Does your company insist on a maximum fish stocking density from its farmed trout suppliers, and what is this maximum (kg trout/metre3 of water)?* Data refer to own label product only ** 2001 data

% Killedby eachstunning/slaughtermethod

thirty three


ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK FARMINGThe routine use of antibiotics in livestock farming, either as growth promoters or

to prevent disease outbreaks (prophylactic use), can lead to the development of

resistant strains of bacteria, with potentially serious implications for human

health. Where they are used, antibiotics may boost growth rates further in

animals whose bodies are already pushed to the limit to produce the maximum

amount of meat. Their use also supports intensive farming systems by

controlling the spread of infections, allowing animals to be crowded together at

higher densities than would otherwise be possible.

Table 22 shows the proportion of meat sold under supermarkets’ own label that

has been produced without the routine use of antibiotics. For the most part,

antibiotics do not appear to be used routinely in the production of supermarket

own label beef and sheep meat. However, antibiotic growth promoters are still

used in the production of a worryingly high proportion of own label pig meat

for most supermarkets, and also in the production of some own label chicken

for several supermarkets.

Table 22: ROUTINE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN SUPERMARKET ‘OWN LABEL’ MEAT PRODUCTION


Beef Growth promotion 100 >95 100 100 100 100 100

Prophylactic use ? >90 0 (no routine 100 90 100 100 prophylactic use)

Sheep meat Growth promotion 100 >95 100 100 100 100 100

Prophylactic use ? >90 0 (no routine 100 100 100 100 prophylactic use)

Pig meat Growth promotion 100 <5 100 50 80 75 85

Prophylactic use ? <5 0 (no routine 50 85 100 100 prophylactic use)

Chicken Growth promotion 100 100 100 95 100 75 100

Prophylactic use ? <5 0 (no routine 95 95 100 100 prophylactic use)

Question asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label i. beef, ii. sheep meat, iii. pig meat and iv. chicken is produced i. without the use of antibiotic growth promoters, and ii. without the prophylactic use of antibiotics, at any stage in the rearing process?

As per assurancescheme standards



As per assurancescheme standards As per assurancescheme standards




% Sales volume own label meatproduced WITHOUT the use ofantibiotics for the following purposes:

thirty four


SUPERMARKET SALES OF ALTERNATIVES TOINTENSIVELY FARMED ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Free Range and Organic Meat, Milk and Eggs

Organic farming is a land-based farming system

which does not use chemical fertilisers and

pesticides; prevents disease through best practice

animal husbandry rather than drugs; is in harmony

with the environment and is a good example of a

farming method with the potential for high

standards of animal welfare. CIWF Trust encourages

the promotion of organic produce as a welfare-

friendly alternative to factory farming.

Table 23 summarises the proportion of supermarket

sales of meat, milk and eggs that are produced in

intensive, free range and organic systems. For

consumers wishing to avoid intensively farmed

animal products, all of the supermarkets surveyed

sell some free range and/or organic meat, milk and

eggs. Waitrose provides the best overall range with

at least 20% of sales coming from animals reared in

free range and/or organic systems for all of the

product categories they were questioned on. Free-range pigs

Free-range broiler chickens

thirty five


Table 23: SUPERMARKET SALES OF ORGANIC, FREE RANGE AND INTENSIVELY PRODUCED ANIMAL PRODUCTS

% Sales volume: ASDA Co-op M&S Morrison Safeway Somerfield Tesco Waitrose Fresh beef Organic 0.4** <5 5 0 1 0.1 1.5 7

Free range >95*** 95 95 100 99 99.9 89.5 89

Zero-grazed <5 <5 0 0 0 0 9 4

Fresh sheep Organic 0** 0 5 0 1 ? 5 7

meat Free range ? 100 95 100 99 ? 95 93

Zero-grazed ? 0 0 0 0 ? 0 0

Fresh pork, Organic 0.9** <5 1 0 1 0.1 1 5

bacon, ham Free range 0** <5 1 6 0 0 4 15

Indoor housed 99.1*** 95 98 94 99 99.9 95 80

Fresh chicken Organic 0.2** <1 3 0 1 0.3 1 14

Free range 0** <5 9 1 1 0.6 4 23

Indoor housed 99.8** 95 88 99 98 99.1 95 63

Fresh turkey Organic Xmas line 0 8 0 1 0 2 5

Free range Xmas line 0 19 0 1 0.1 8 33

Indoor housed ~100 100 73 100 98 99.9 90 62

Fresh duck Organic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

Free range 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 37

Indoor housed 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 60

Fresh farmed Organic 0** <5 10 0 0 0 3 27

salmon Intensive 100** >95 90 100 100 100 97 73

Fresh farmed Organic 1** 50 0 0 0 0 0.5 20

trout Intensive 99** 50 100 100 100 100 95.5 80

Fresh milk Organic 5** 3 10 0.5 ? 0.3 4 17

Free range 95*** 97 90 99.5 99 99.5 95 83

Zero-grazed 0 0 0 0 0.5 0.3 1 0

Shell eggs Organic 5** 4 30 2.5 5 4 6 16

Free range 23*** 37 70 22.5 23 16.5 18 69

Indoor housed 71 59 0 75 72 81.7 76 15

Question asked:• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume (both own label and branded) in each livestock/product category is produced in the

following systems: i. organic, ii. free range (non-organic), iii. indoor housing/standard intensive systems (non-organic, non-free range)?

* Data refer to own label product only ** 2001 data *** Estimation based on incomplete data sets from 2001 and 2003

thirty six


Vegetarian and Vegan Alternatives to Animal Products

For consumers wishing to avoid or cut down on meat and/or other animal

products, most supermarkets provide a good range of vegetarian products, and

these are generally easily recognisable as all supermarkets surveyed use either the

official Vegetarian Society symbol or their own symbol identifying products

suitable for vegetarians. The availability of vegan products is more restricted.

Morrison provides the best range, with over 90% of stores selling all of the

vegan products they were questioned on.

Table 24: SUPERMARKET SALES OF VEGETARIAN AND VEGAN ALTERNATIVES TO ANIMAL PRODUCTS


Vegetarian sausages 100 83 New product 100 80 98 100 100 launch Oct 2003

Vegetarian burgers 100 34 Product in 100 80 54 100 100development

Vegetarian pies 100 34 100 100 ? 94 100 100

Vegetarian cheese 100 100 100 100 100 100 90 100

Tofu 100 1 0 91 80 38 50 100

Soya milk 100 24 0 100 100 44 100 100

Vegan yoghurt ? 1 0 100 ? 0 20 <5

Vegan ice cream ? 1 0 92 ? 0 50 <5

Use vegetarian symbol? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Use vegan symbol? No Yes No No No No No No

Questions asked:

• What percentage of your stores sell the following products: i. vegetarian sausages, ii. vegetarian burgers, iii. vegetarian pies (savoury), iv. vegetarian cheese, v. tofu, vi. soya milk, vii. vegan yoghurt, viii. vegan ice cream?

• Does your company use the official symbols of the Vegetarian and Vegan Societies (or your own symbol) on appropriate own-brand products?

% Stores

selling each

product

thirty seven


THE ‘IDEAL’ WELFARE-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKETOF THE FUTURECIWF Trust is encouraging supermarkets to progress toward a more humane food system.

This survey reflects the current state of progress in the retail industry. To aid this process,

CIWF Trust has identified the following points which it believes form the essential

elements to be included in the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly supermarket of the future:

• All red meat, poultry meat, milk and eggs would be free range or organically

produced. This would include 100% of fresh and processed produce. It would also

include 100% of manufactured foods and ready-made meals containing animal

products as an ingredient. This 100% free range or organic requirement would

include the company’s entire range of branded products as well as its own label

range. No fish products would come from conventional intensive farms.

• All animals would be provided with bedding material such as straw (mammals) or

litter (birds).

• No animals would be subjected to mutilations such as tail docking, teeth clipping,

debeaking or castration.

• No products would be accepted from breeds of farm animal bred to unsustainable

levels of production, for which major welfare problems are unavoidable. Examples

include fast-growing broiler chickens, Holstein dairy cattle, and double-muscled

breeds of beef cattle such as the Belgian Blue. Instead, dual-purpose breeds of

poultry and cattle would be the norm. No products from genetically engineered or

cloned animals, or their descendants, would be accepted.

• No products would be accepted from animals treated with antibiotic growth

promoters, nor those produced using genetically engineered production enhancers

such as Bovine Somatotropin (BST) for dairy cows.

• No exotic animal products would be sold that are produced from essentially wild

animals or those where production imposes severe welfare problems. Examples

here include ostrich and emu meat, frogs’ legs and foie gras.

• No animals or meat would be sourced from livestock auction markets.

• Journey times for animals travelling to slaughter would be progressively reduced to

the point where the norm is for animals to be slaughtered on the farm of rearing

or at the local abattoir.

• All animals, including fish, would be slaughtered humanely using effective

pre-slaughter stunning or instantaneous stun-kill methods.

• The company would strive to continually improve animal welfare by investment in

research, and would have a written animal welfare policy with targets that are actively

reviewed on an annual basis. A main Board or Executive member would be appointed

with specific responsibility for animal welfare, and ideally a dedicated animal welfare

officer would be appointed to the staff to facilitate active implementation of the

company’s animal welfare policy.

Table 25 reveals that Marks & Spencer has achieved total compliance on the greatest

number of individual criteria for CIWF Trust’s vision of the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly

supermarket, and is the only supermarket to achieve the following:

• All laying hens are reared

in free range or organic

systems.

• No products are sold from

animals treated with

antibiotic growth

promoters or genetically

engineered production

enhancers.

Waitrose is the only supermarket

to achieve the following:

• All animals are provided

with bedding material.

• All animals, including fish,

are slaughtered using

humane methods.

All supermarkets met one criterion for the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly supermarket:

• No foie gras, frogs’ legs, ostrich or emu meat is sold.

Joyce D'Silva,Chief Executive

of CIWF presentsaward for

Welfare Ideal -Most Advanced

Supermarket2003-2004 to

Marks & Spencer’sTechnical Manager

Paul Willgoss.

thirty eight


Table 25: SUPERMARKET ACHIEVEMENT OF TOTAL COMPLIANCE ON INDIVIDUAL CRITERIA

FOR THE ‘IDEAL’ WELFARE-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKET OF THE FUTURE

M&S Waitrose Safeway Co-op Morrison Tesco ASDA Somerfield

Broiler chickens

Laying hens ✓

Turkeys and ducks

Pigs

Cattle (beef and dairy) ✓ ✓

Fish

All animals provided with bedding material ✓

No animals subjected to mutilations

No unacceptable breeds or genetically engineered animals

No antibiotic growth promoters or genetically engineered production enhancers used ✓

No exotic animal products sold (foie gras, frogs’ legs, ostrich/emu meat) ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

No animals sourced from livestock markets ✓ ✓ ✓

All animals slaughtered on farm of rearing or nearest abattoir

All animals, including fish, slaughtered using humane methods ✓

Investment in research, animal welfare policy, and board member responsible for animal welfare ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

NUMBER OF CRITERIA MET (/15) 6 5 3 2 2 2 1 1

Allanimalsreared infree rangeor organicsystems

CRITERIA FOR THE ‘IDEAL’WELFARE-FRIENDLYSUPERMARKET:

thirty nine


COMPASSIONATE SUPERMARKET OF THE YEAR2003-2004 SCORING METHODOLOGY CIWF Trust is seeking to compare the overall performance of the major UK

supermarkets and to monitor their progress toward higher farm animal welfare

standards. The supermarkets have therefore been scored on their responses to

the questions, reflecting their performance on key indicators of animal welfare.

These key indicators are based on the elements identified by CIWF Trust as part of

its vision of the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly supermarket. The scoring system

incorporates as many of the questions as possible that are directly linked with

welfare and for which a meaningful set of responses was obtained. These

questions are divided into nine sections relating to key welfare issues, and each of

these sections is given equal weighting. The discussion of the results in the main

body of the report is divided into these same sections, and the questions and

answers incorporated into the scoring are highlighted in bold type in the tables

within these sections. In dividing the questions into sections, questions relating

to the welfare of relatively small numbers of animals or animals that are mostly

reared in fairly extensive systems are generally grouped together into sections,

whilst larger or more intensively farmed groups are given individual sections. It is

obviously very difficult to quantify ‘animal welfare’ and to make judgements

about the relative impact on farm animal welfare of different factors affecting

different animal species and widely different numbers of individual animals.

Whilst recognising this, CIWF Trust believes that the scoring system used produces

a fair reflection of overall supermarket performance on animal welfare.

The supermarkets are ranked on their responses to each question. The

supermarket with the best performance is awarded 7 points, the next best 6

points, and so on until the eighth ranked supermarket is awarded 0 points.

Where two or more supermarkets perform equally on a question, they are given

equal ranking, and if more than one supermarket has the worst possible

performance (eg. 100% intensively reared) they are each awarded 0 points. As

the number of questions in each section varies, an average is taken of all the

points awarded in each section to give the overall score (out of 7) for each

section. The section scores are then added to give the total score out of a

possible maximum of 63 points, with the highest total score indicating the most

welfare-friendly supermarket. This score is intended for comparison of

supermarkets, rather than as an absolute measure of performance.

To score the different animal rearing systems, they are divided for each of the

main animal species into intensive, semi-intensive and extensive. To produce a

fair score, which takes into account the proportion in all three types of system,

the supermarkets are ranked twice - once for the proportion in intensive systems

(with the smallest proportion ranked highest) and once for the proportion in

extensive systems (with the greatest proportion ranked highest). As a result of

this double scoring of the distribution of animals between systems, this factor is

effectively weighted to make it twice as important as the other questions in the

section. This reflects the huge impact of the type of system on welfare. For

slaughter methods (deer and fish) the methods are divided into those that are

considered acceptable on welfare grounds and those that are not, and one of

these is scored in each case.

The scores for each supermarket and their positions are presented in table 26.

Copies of the full scoring system, including the points awarded for each individual

question, are available upon request from CIWF Trust. Waitrose performed best

on the welfare of turkeys and ducks; the welfare of pigs; livestock markets,

transport and slaughter; and the welfare of farmed fish, and achieved the highest

overall score. Waitrose therefore receives the CIWF Trust ‘Compassionate

Supermarket of the Year 2003-2004’ award. Marks & Spencer is the runner-up,

and performed best on animal welfare policy and investment in animal welfare

research; the welfare of broiler chickens; and the welfare of laying hens.

Table 26: COMPASSIONATE SUPERMARKET OF THE YEAR 2003-4

SCORE Waitrose M&S Co-op Tesco Safeway Morrison Somerfield ASDA

Section 1: Policy/investment in animal welfare (/7) 6.4 7.0 6.4 6.2 5.8 2.8 5.2 5.2

Section 2: Welfare of broiler chickens (/7) 4.7 6.3 2.0 3.3 2.3 1.7 1.0 0.0

Section 3: Welfare of Laying hens (/7) 6.3 7.0 4.0 1.8 1.2 0.5 0.0 1.0

Section 4: Welfare of turkeys and ducks (/7) 5.8 2.0 4.5 4.3 1.5 0.0 1.5 0.5

Section 5: Welfare of pigs (/7) 6.6 3.1 3.1 3.6 4.6 1.9 3.8 2.4

Section 6: Welfare of cattle (/7) 6.1 6.5 3.6 1.9 4.1 7.0 3.6 3.5

Section 7: Exotic/luxury animal products and welfare of other animals (/7) 5.7 5.8 7.0 4.9 4.9 7.0 7.0 7.0

Section 8: Markets, transport and slaughter (/7) 6.2 4.9 6.0 2.6 2.4 4.3 1.6 1.1

Section 9: Welfare of farmed fish (/7) 5.7 5.0 5.0 4.9 4.9 4.4 3.6 2.0

TOTAL SCORE (/63) 53.5 47.6 41.6 33.5 31.7 29.6 27.3 22.7

POSITION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

forty


forty one


CIWF TRUST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROGRESSON FARM ANIMAL WELFARECIWF Trust’s ‘Raising the Standard’ supermarket survey aims to encourage

progress toward higher standards of farm animal welfare throughout the retail

sector. In this survey report, CIWF Trust has set out its long-term vision of the

elements that should be included in the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly supermarket of

the future. By repeating its supermarket survey, CIWF Trust aims to stimulate

and chart improvements in performance and commitment made by major UK

supermarkets on farm animal welfare. To aid this process, and based on the

2003 survey results, the following general recommendations for short-term

progress are offered:

• CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist on reduced stocking densities for

indoor-reared broiler chickens, and to promote a greater proportion of

sales of free range and organically reared chickens.

• CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to follow the lead of Marks & Spencer in no

longer selling battery eggs and battery egg ingredient, by setting targets

for the elimination of battery egg sales from their product range in favour

of more humanely produced free range and barn eggs.

• CIWF Trust calls on those supermarkets still selling imported own label or

branded pig meat produced using sow stalls and tethers to stop doing so.

These systems, in which sows cannot even turn around throughout their

four-month pregnancy, have been banned in the UK on cruelty grounds.

• CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to promote a greater proportion of sales of

pork, bacon, ham and processed pig meat products from pigs farmed

outdoors.

• CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to provide bedding material for all farmed

animals.

• CIWF Trust encourages all supermarkets to insist on the lowest possible

maximum journey times for animals travelling to slaughter. Maximum

journey times should be no more than 8 hours at the very most for

mammals, and 4 hours for birds. CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to ensure

that policies on maximum journey times are equally applicable to imported

meat as well as animals produced domestically.

• CIWF Trust urges those supermarkets still obtaining some animals from

livestock markets to abandon using them altogether.

• CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to raise their farmed fish welfare standards

by demanding that suppliers rear fish at much reduced stocking densities,

use only humane

slaughter methods,

and stop the practice

of prolonged pre-

slaughter starvation.

• CIWF Trust urges

those supermarkets

that have not already

done so to set a clear

policy of not stocking

produce from

genetically

engineered or cloned

animals, or their

descendants. This

policy should cover

branded as well as

own label products. New born lamb

© Wendy Parkyn

Compassion in World Farming Trust is an educational charity dedicated to advancing farm animal welfare. Registered Charity number, 1095050, a company limited by guarantee, Registered Number 4590804.Registered Office: as above.

Compassion in World Farming Trust

5a Charles Street, Petersfield,

Hampshire, GU32 3EH, UK

T. +44 (0)1730 268070

F. +44 (0)1730 260791

E. [email protected]

W. www.ciwf.org

SUPERMARKETS & FARM ANIMAL WELFARE‘RAISING THE STANDARD’Compassion in World Farming Trust Supermarket Survey 2003-2004

HEATHER PICKETT AND KERRY BURGESS

2004

ISBN 1 900 156 28 8

printed on Revive Matt, 100% recycled paper

‘raising the standard’ supermarkets & farm … · compassion in world farming trust...

Documents