The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) launched its ninth annual report. According to the report, more than a third (39%) of the 150 companies covered by the BBFAW remain in the bottom two tiers, however, offering little or no information on their approach to farm animal welfare.
The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), the leading global measure of policy commitment, performance, and disclosure on animal welfare in food companies, has launched its ninth annual report. The 2020 Benchmark, supported by Compassion in World Farming and World Animal Protection, analyzed 150 global food companies.
For the first time in the Benchmark’s history, food producers and manufacturers are now the highest scoring sub-sector on farm animal welfare with an overall average score of 38%, compared to scores of 35% for retailers and wholesalers, and 31% for restaurants and bars. Thirteen producers and manufacturers improved their ranking by at least one tier between 2019 and 2020, compared to nine retailers and wholesalers, and just one company in the ‘restaurants and bars’ sub-sector.
Food producers and manufacturers are also now the most represented sub-sector in Tiers 1 and 2 of the Benchmark, with twelve companies – Barilla, Cargill, Cranswick, Danish Crown, Groupe Danone, Fonterra, Hilton Food Group, Marfrig, Nestlé, Noble Foods, Premier Foods and Unilever – showing leadership on farm animal welfare. These companies represent all geographic regions (Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, North America and UK) covered by the Benchmark.
More than a third (39%) of the 150 companies covered by the BBFAW remain in the bottom two tiers, however, offering little or no information on their approach to farm animal welfare. In fact, 31 global food companies remain without an overarching farm animal welfare policy.
On a regional basis, the 2020 Benchmark reveals momentum is building in Latin America and Asia Pacific: regions that include some of the biggest names in global meat production. Analysis here shows noteworthy changes in the overall average score for producer companies in Latin America, whose overall average score rose from 29% in 2019 to 40% in 2020.
In Asia Pacific, producers in the region saw year-on-year scores improve from 21% to 27% in the Management Commitment section and from 14% to 18% in the Governance and Management section. However, it is worth noting that this rise is from a very low base, and the average overall score for these companies increased from 12% to 16% in 2020.
Nicky Amos, Executive Director of the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare, said: “The 2020 findings show how BBFAW is driving corporate action on farm animal welfare, with around two-thirds of companies actively managing the business risks and opportunities associated with farm animal welfare, and 79% of companies having committed to improvement objectives and targets linked to farm animal welfare. The progress made by companies on managing farm animal welfare since the BBFAW’s inception in 2012 is remarkable and should be applauded. However, as BBFAW enters its tenth year, our expectation is that companies need to demonstrate how their management commitments are translating into improved welfare impacts for animals on the ground.”
The BBFAW has also announced that in 2021 – the tenth annual Benchmark cycle – it welcomes FOUR PAWS, the global animal welfare organization for animals under direct human influence, as a supporting partner. FOUR PAWS will take over from World Animal Protection who, alongside Compassion in World Farming International, has steered the BBFAW since its inception in 2012. The BBFAW is extremely grateful to World Animal Protection for its vision, dedication, technical expertise and financial support over the past nine years. FOUR PAWS and BBFAW founding partner, Compassion in World Farming International, will together play an instrumental role in providing the BBFAW programme with technical expertise, guidance, funding and practical resources as the programme enters its second decade.
Philip Lymbery, Global CEO at Compassion in World Farming International, said: “This is the ninth annual BBFAW report and I’d like to thank our co-sponsors, World Animal Protection for sharing the journey with us since 2012, during which time we have seen extraordinary company progress.”
Lymbery continues: “The current pandemic has been deeply challenging for everyone, particularly for the hospitality sector, and at the same time, has underlined the need for progressive change toward healthier, more resilient animal-welfare friendly food systems. The need to convert effective policies into practice has never been more urgent. As the 2020 Benchmark demonstrates, giving greater weight to the implementation of progressive practices has become a key corporate performance indicator on animal welfare and thereby health, which will remain important going forward.”
Steve McIvor, CEO at World Animal Protection, said: “COVID-19 has brought new challenges like never before, but despite this, we must continue to accelerate and drive forward the animal welfare movement. We must do better for the world’s 50 billion animals that are factory farmed each year, causing immense suffering. Not only do the cruel practices of intensive farming subject animals to misery, but they expose us to potential diseases and risks too. The BBFAW tool exposes those companies that care for animals, and those who do not.”
“Animal cruelty is becoming more and more important for consumers – producers, supermarkets and restaurants would be foolish to ignore it. This tool brings all the commitments together in one place, providing a clear and transparent scorecard for all to see.”
