Animal welfare
For more animal welfare, together with farmers
Consumers are increasingly invested in animal welfare. At Danone, we see it as our responsibility to take care of the animals we work with. For our consumers, for our farmers, and of course for the animals we care for.
Our global animal welfare efforts
Animals
For more animal welfare,
together with farmers.
Consumers are increasingly invested in animal welfare. At Danone, we see it as our responsibility to take care of the animals we work with. For our consumers, for our farmers, and of course for the animals we care for.
We want to help farmers improve the living conditions on their farms. And are committed to playing a key role in the improvement of animal life on dairy farms.
A promise
And a global commitment
At a global level, Danone wants to set an example. And we are committed to achieving this together with the farmers we work with. Every year we take our collective learnings and research to our farmers. To give them new insights and exchange ideas.
Our commitment isn’t just hollow words. We deliver and are regularly checked by independent NGO’s and government organisations.
We are also proud to have been ranked amongst the very best in the yearly Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare as a Tier-2 organisation in 2019.
Working on animal welfare has a ripple effect: Milk quality, the life of farmers, and the life of animals all improve – reducing our carbon footprint along the way.
Assessing the conditions on the farms we work with
A lot of the farmers we work with were already doing great work in improving animal welfare. From 2016 onwards, we decided to provide an overarching structure so that all farmers could participate.
An assessment of the 5 freedoms of animals
Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
- By giving access to fresh water and a diet that maintain health and vigour.
Freedom from Discomfort
- By providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease
- By prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
Freedom to Express Normal Behavior
- By providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
Freedom from Fear and Distress
- By ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
And a concrete action plan for each farm
We set forth certain practices we wanted to eliminate from the farms we work with:
- – tail docking
- – using cloned semen
- – poor access to feed or water
And what we wanted to see implemented, for example, better bedding for calves, pastureland where that’s possible, and responsible antibiotics use.
Working with partners and NGOs
At Danone, we value the knowledge and expertise of NGOs and technical institutes like IRTA in Spain or PHYLUM globally. They help us design training material that supports farmers and improves the lives of the animals on their dairy farms.
Together with our partners at Compassion in World Farming we decide on the best route to take, so that we can improve animal welfare and keep our farmers invested in animal welfare as well. The result is the Animal Welfare assessment grid you see here
Implementing change for the better
After we’ve assessed the situation on a farm, we start working with the farmer on implementing our action plan. The action plan contains a guide of what the farmer should focus on to improve animal welfare.
We then check how the farmer and its animals are progressing. Some changes are non-negotiable. At Danone, we want the farms we work with to be as dedicated to animal welfare as we are.
Certifying our process
In Spain, one of our brands has had its whole milk supply chain certified as animal friendly by a third body (The certificación Welfair™ welfare certification) – setting a clear example for the rest of the Spanish dairy industry.
And this example is being followed by others, so slowly we’re helping to move the whole industry towards more animal welfare.
Moving an entire industry is no easy task, that is why we are currently looking to certify our process by an independent third party. This once again underlines our commitment, but it also provides consumers with proof and gives them power in choosing better products.
At Danone, we believe we can always do better
No farm has ever scored 100% on one of our assessments, but some have come close. Our questions and requirements become progressively stricter to ensure continuous improvement- slowly nudging farmers in the right direction.
There is always room for improvement. What was accepted as good fifty years ago is now outdated, regulated and in some cases even forbidden. We are constantly working with the latest research, actively looking for where we can do more.
Danone brands are reflecting animal welfare
Changing habits that have been implemented for generations happens slowly. But they do happen, and they are accelerated by demo farms and farmers learning from each other.
These brands are showing how it’s done:
- Leche de Pastoreo in Spain
