A report for Compassion

in WorldFarming Trust

2006

SUPERMARKETS AND FARM ANIMAL WELFARE‘RAISING THE STANDARD’ Compassion in World Farming Trust Supermarket Survey 2005-2006

4

Compassion in World Farming Trust is an educational charity working

internationally to advance the welfare of farm animals. We carry out detailed

research using academic literature and publish educational resources for use by

schools, universities and the general public on farm animal welfare and associated

environmental, social and ethical issues. Our publications include reports, books,

videos, factsheets and teaching materials.

CIWF Trust cooperates with organisations and individuals in many countries. Our

current key issues include animal sentience and an assessment of the impact of the

World Trade Organisation on farm animal welfare globally. The Trustees are

grateful to several grant-making Charitable Trusts and members of the public who

have made work in these areas possible. A complete list of our available materials

and downloadable versions can be found at www.ciwf.org

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SUPERMARKETS AND FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

‘RAISING THE STANDARD’Compassion in World Farming Trust

Supermarket Survey 2005-2006

Conducted by

Compassion in World Farming Trust

Project managed by

Kerry Burgess

Report researched and compiled by

Heather Pickett

2006

Published by Compassion in World Farming Trust

5a Charles Street, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3EH, UK

Tel. +44 (0)1730 268070 Fax. +44 (0)1730 260791

Email: ciwftrust@ciwf.co.uk Website: www.ciwf.org

© Compassion in World Farming Trust, 2006

ISBN 1 900156 37 7

Compassion in World Farming Trust is an educational charity

working internationally to advance the welfare of farm animals.

Registered charity number 1095050, a company limited by guarantee, registered number 4590804.

4

Contents

page

Introduction 5

Summary and Conclusions 6

Survey Results: 11

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

Section 1: Supermarket Policy on Farm Animal Welfare 13

Section 2: Supermarket Investment in Farm Animal Welfare Research and Development Work 15

Section 3: The Welfare of Laying Hens 16

Section 4: The Welfare of Broiler Chickens 18

Section 5: The Welfare of Turkeys, Ducks and Geese 20

Section 6: The Welfare of Pigs 23

Section 7: The Welfare of Sheep and Cattle 27

Section 8: Exotic/Luxury Animal Products and the Welfare of Other Farmed Animals 31

Section 9: The Welfare of Farmed Fish 34

Section 10: Livestock Markets, Transport and Slaughter 37

Antibiotics in Livestock Production 41

Supermarket Sales of Organic Animal Products 42

The ‘Ideal’ Welfare-Friendly Supermarket of the Future 43

Compassionate Supermarket of the Year 2005-2006 45

CIWF Trust Recommendations for Progress 48

5

Introduction

The welfare of farm animals is

recognised as an important public

and political issue in the UK and

Europe. The past two decades have

seen farm animals recognised as

sentient beings in European Union

(EU) law and the introduction of

some welcome legislation to counter

some of the worst excesses of

factory farming. Narrow veal crates for calves and sow stalls for pregnant

pigs have both been banned in the UK. Yet the vast majority of farm

animals are still kept indoors in highly intensive systems. Consumers are

increasingly concerned about the way in which farm animals are treated.

With most of the nation’s food shopping now taking place in supermarkets,

the multiple retailers have become the main link between the farm and the

food we put into our shopping baskets. Compassion in World Farming Trust

(CIWF Trust) has carried out this survey of supermarket standards and

performance on farm animal welfare in order to raise those standards and to

inform consumers about 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. The survey

has been repeated biennially as 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 with the 2005 survey: ASDA, The Co-operative

Group (Co-op), Marks & Spencer (M&S), Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, Tesco

and Waitrose. Wm Morrison’s Stores and Iceland Foods were unable to

participate in this round of the survey due to ongoing restructuring.

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.

• 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 Compassion in World Farming’s campaign for

humane food and farming.

CIWF TRUST SURVEY OF SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

© M

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Free-range pigs

6

Although the 2005 ‘Raising the Standard’ survey has revealed a

continuing trend towards sales of free-range eggs, it has also identified

areas that need further progress by the UK’s major supermarkets.

Progress is urgently needed to raise welfare standards for pigs, poultry

reared for meat and farmed fish. Maximum transport times for poultry

travelling to slaughter need to be reduced further.

The Welfare of Egg-Laying Hens

Battery cages for laying

hens are to be banned

across the European

Union (EU) from 2012.

Supermarkets have an

important role to play in

preventing this major

welfare reform from

being undermined by

imports of eggs that do

not meet EU welfare

standards. Marks &

Spencer was 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 now uses only free-range eggs in their own-label processed

foods and ready-made meals. Non-cage eggs now make up over 50% of

shell egg sales for all supermarkets surveyed, except Somerfield. In a

very welcome move, The Co-operative Group has set a target date of

2007 to stop selling caged shell eggs.

CIWF urges all supermarkets that have not already done so to stop selling

battery eggs.

The Welfare of Broiler (Meat) Chickens

Most supermarkets

allow chickens reared

intensively for meat to

be stocked 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 birds reared

per square metre of floor space. UK government guidelines specify a

maximum of 34 kg/m2. Waitrose has now followed the lead of Marks &

Spencer in stipulating 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.

The majority of chickens sold by most UK supermarkets are

intensively reared, including over 90% of chickens sold by ASDA,

The Co-operative Group, Somerfield and Tesco. Consumers wishing

to buy more humanely reared chicken can choose free-range or organic

options. All of the supermarkets questioned sell some free-range and/or

organic chickens. Around a third of the chickens sold by Waitrose come

from these higher welfare systems.

Modern broiler chickens have been bred to grow so quickly that they

reach slaughter weight in just 6 weeks. Often their bones cannot keep

pace, causing many to suffer painful and crippling lameness. The vast

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Battery hens

Crowded broiler (meat) chicken shed

7

majority of chickens sold by ASDA, Somerfield and Tesco are fast-growing

strains. Marks & Spencer is the first supermarket to achieve 100%

of their chicken coming from a slower-growing strain.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist on reduced stocking densities

for indoor-reared broiler chickens, to encourage the use of slower-growing

strains, and to promote greater sales of free-range and organic chickens.

The Welfare of Other Poultry

The majority of turkeys sold

by UK supermarkets are

intensively reared, including

over 90% of those sold by

ASDA, Sainsbury’s and

Somerfield. All of the

supermarkets surveyed sell

some free-range and/or

organic turkeys. Around a

third of the turkeys sold by

Marks & Spencer are reared in

these more humane systems.

The majority of ducks farmed for the major UK supermarkets are

intensively reared, including all of those sold by ASDA and Marks

& Spencer. Only Waitrose sells 100% free-range ducks. All of the

geese sold by most supermarkets are free-range. Sainsbury’s is

the only supermarket selling intensively reared geese. The vast

majority of ducks and geese reared for UK supermarkets are denied

access to open water that would allow them to perform their natural

behaviours. One notable exception is that all geese reared for Marks &

Spencer are provided with sufficient water to allow them to swim. Some

of the ducks reared for Sainsbury’s and Somerfield do not even have

access to water in which they can immerse their heads. This is essential

to ensure good eye health and to allow the birds to maintain their

plumage in good condition.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist that farmed ducks and geese

are provided with access to open water, and to promote greater sales of

free-range and organic poultry.

The Welfare of Pigs

Sainsbury’s and Somerfield

are still selling some pig

meat under their own label

that is imported from stall

systems. In these systems,

sows are confined in stalls

that are so narrow they 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. 70% or more of

the pig meat sold by ASDA, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s,

Somerfield and Tesco comes from the offspring of mothering sows

kept in narrow farrowing crates. All of the own-label pig meat sold by

Waitrose and over half of that sold by The Co-operative Group is produced

using more humane outdoor farrowing systems without crates.

CIWF Trust believes the rearing system with the highest welfare potential

for pigs is a well-managed outdoor farm. Waitrose is the first UK

supermarket to source all of their own-label pig meat from

systems where the sows are kept outdoors.

The European Union Directive on pigs requires, as of January 2003, the

provision of manipulable material such as straw for pigs. Tail-docking is

also not permitted to be undertaken routinely. The 2005 survey

Sows confined in stalls

Intensively reared turkeys

8

reveals that serious breaches of this legislation are still

commonplace. Despite a ban on routine tail-docking of piglets,

80% or more of the pig meat sold by all of the supermarkets

surveyed still comes from pigs that have been tail-docked. 40% or

more of rearing pigs and some sows for The Co-operative Group, Marks &

Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield and Tesco are not provided

with manipulable material.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to stop selling pig meat from stall

systems, to push for a reduction in levels of tail-docking by insisting that

all pigs are provided with manipulable material such as straw, and to

promote greater sales of outdoor-reared pig meat.

The Welfare of Sheep and Cattle

Marks &

Spencer is

the only

supermarket

not selling any

lamb, beef or

milk from

animals that

have been kept

permanently

indoors in zero-

grazing

systems.

Somerfield is the only supermarket selling meat from lambs that have

been subjected to mulesing. This is a painful mutilation in which the skin

is cut away from the rump and is usually carried out without anaesthetic

or pain relief.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist that all sheep and cattle are

provided with access to the outdoors, at least during the grazing season, and

to refuse to stock meat from lambs that have been subjected to mulesing.

The Welfare of Farmed Fish

Most farmed fish sold in UK supermarkets have been reared at

stocking densities too high for good welfare and are often killed

using methods that are unacceptable on welfare grounds. There

has been some welcome progress on the welfare of trout at slaughter by

many of the major supermarkets. The Co-operative Group, Marks &

Spencer, Somerfield and Tesco have all now matched Waitrose in

achieving 100% of their trout being killed using more humane methods

involving percussive or electrical stunning. The Co-operative Group,

Marks & Spencer and Waitrose remain the only supermarkets to have

achieved all of their salmon being killed by more humane methods.

Around a third of farmed salmon for all of the other supermarkets

surveyed are still being killed by gassing with carbon dioxide, a method

condemned on welfare grounds.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist on reduced stocking densities

and humane slaughter methods for all of their farmed fish.

Dairy cattlehoused incubicles

Salmon farm

9

Transport of Farm Animals

Millions of farm animals are

transported 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.

CIWF Trust believes that maximum journey times should be no more than

8 hours 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. Maximum

journey times for poultry are generally set far too high, with most

companies allowing journeys of up to 8 hours and in some cases

12 hours. No supermarket has set an acceptable maximum

journey time for spent laying hens, with several companies

allowing journeys of up to 12 hours or not specifying any

maximum at all. The Co-operative Group sets the highest standards

overall, with journeys of no more than 6 hours to slaughter allowed for all

species except laying hens.

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. Except in the case of spent laying hens, average

journey times for all supermarkets do not exceed 4 hours for any species.

CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to reduce maximum permitted journey

times for animals travelling to slaughter to no more than 8 hours for

mammals and 4 hours for birds.

Exotic and Luxury Animal Products

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. Most of the

supermarkets surveyed do not sell foie gras, frogs’ legs or exotic meats.

Sainsbury’s is the only supermarket still selling foie gras.

CIWF Trust congratulates those supermarkets that do not sell foie gras,

frogs’ legs or exotic meats and urges any supermarkets still selling these

products to stop doing so.

Sheep on transport vehicle

Force feeding for foie gras production

10

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 47, showing

the overall welfare performance ranking for each company.

Waitrose achieved the highest overall score, with a total of 49.3

out of a possible 60 points, and receives the CIWF ‘Compassionate

Supermarket of the Year 2005-2006’ award. This year’s survey was

a very close-run competition, with Marks & Spencer finishing less than 2

points behind the leader. The Co-operative Group has significantly closed

the gap on the top two supermarkets, with less than 5 points now

separating the top three.

In recognition of this, The Co-operative Group receives the award for

‘Most Improved Supermarket 2005-2006’. The top 5

supermarkets in 2005, in order of farm animal welfare

performance, are Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, The Co-

operative Group, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s.

Marks & Spencer receives the award for ‘Investment and

Innovation in Farm Animal Welfare Research 2005-2006’ for

their development of the Oakham chicken, which has allowed them

to convert all of their chicken meat production to using this slower-

growing strain. Slower-growing chickens are less susceptible to the

serious welfare problems associated with modern strains of broiler

chickens bred for fast growth rates.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

Joanna Lumleypresents the CIWF‘CompassionateSupermarket of theYear 2005-2006’award to Waitrose

11

SUPERMARKETS AND FARM ANIMAL WELFARE SURVEY RESULTS – 2005

The main findings of the 2005 survey are presented here, together with a brief outline of each animal welfare issue. These results will be compared with

the results of the previous ‘Raising the Standard’ surveys conducted in 2001 and 2003 to gauge supermarket progress on these issues. The information

was received directly from supermarkets via questionnaire during the period May-October 2005.

Key

The following symbols and terms 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

The questions and answers incorporated into the final scoring are highlighted in bold type in the tables

‘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 and frozen meat, fresh milk and shell 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. Table 2 shows that 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.

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

12

TABLE 2: SUPERMARKET SALES OF ‘FARM ASSURED’ LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS

% Sales volume sold under own label

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

Shell eggs 98 100 100 92 90 70 76

Chicken meat 100 80 100 95 95 95 99

Turkey, duck and goose 100 75 100 95 95 90 99

Pig meat 90 80 100 80 73 85 88

Sheep meat 100 95 100 97 95 90 99

Beef 100 95 100 99 95 92 98

Fresh milk 98 96 100 92 98 97 99

Question asked:

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

% Sales volume produced under

nationally recognised farm assurance schemes ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Shell eggs 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Chicken meat 100 99 100 100 95 100 100

Turkey, duck and goose 100 10 100 100 95 100 100

Pigmeat 100 95 100 100 30 100 100

Sheep meat 100 100 100 100 0 100 100

Beef 100 100 100 100 0 100 100

Fresh milk 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Question asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of fresh and frozen meat, fresh milk and shell eggs is produced under nationally recognised farm assurance schemes (e.g. 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 1: SUPERMARKET SALES OF ‘OWN LABEL’ LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS

13

SECTION 1: SUPERMARKET POLICY ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

All of the supermarkets questioned have a written animal welfare policy and

a board level representative with specific responsibility for this issue. CIWF

Trust believes these are good indicators of the seriousness of a company’s

commitment to farm animal welfare. However, in most cases these policies

are not sufficiently detailed and/or do not include specific targets for

improvements in farm animal welfare. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets

to produce a detailed policy on farm animal welfare, highlighting areas

where they seek to make improvements and timescales for these.

Every supermarket questioned has a policy that imported meat, milk and

eggs must meet the same animal welfare standards as those produced

domestically. However, it is clear from the data in this survey that in

many cases these standards are below minimum UK legislative standards.

As UK and European legislation continue to raise farm animal welfare

standards, it is becoming increasingly important that supermarkets insist

that imported products meet the same 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. It is also essential that policies on

animal transport apply equally to imported meat as to that produced

domestically. All supermarkets except ASDA and Somerfield apply the

same policy on transport to imported meat. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to apply the same standards for the transport of animals

outside the UK.

Most of the supermarkets surveyed have their own standards for the

catching of poultry, although some use the standards set by the national

farm assurance scheme, Assured Chicken Production. In most cases

these standards allow birds to be caught and carried by a single leg and

do not place a limit on the number of birds that can be carried in one

hand. This can lead to many birds being injured during catching. Co-op

is the only supermarket to set higher standards, insisting that birds must

not be carried by one leg. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to follow

their example in order to

improve the welfare of

poultry during catching.

The genetic engineering

of farm animals, for

example, to grow

faster, bigger or 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 of the supermarkets questioned have such a policy

in place. However, in many cases this policy only applies to ‘own label’

products. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to extend this commitment

to included branded products. 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). ASDA Co-op

© Animal Aid A catchercarrieshandfuls ofchickenssuspendedby one leg

14

TABLE 3: SUPERMARKET POLICIES ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

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

Written corporate animal Have policy Policy but Detailed Policy with Policy but Policy but Policy butwelfare policy? but not no clear policy with clear targets no clear no clear no clear

supplied targets clear targets targets targets targets

Same animal welfare standards for imported products? Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Same policy for transport “Compliesoutside the UK? with national Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes

legislation”

Welfare policy covering poultry Basic (ACP*) Chickens Basic Basic Basic (ACP*) Basic Basic catching/ transport? standards must not be standards standards standards standards standards

carried by a single leg

Policy not to stock products from Yes (own Yes Yes Yes (own Yes (own Yes (own Yes genetically engineered/cloned label only) label only) label only) label only)animals (including descendents)?

% Dairy products produced using BST 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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? (Copy of policy requested)

• 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’s policy on maximum journey times apply equally to meat imported from animals being transported for slaughter in non-UK countries as well as the UK?

• Does your company have a welfare policy covering the catching of poultry and subsequent transport? (Copy of policy requested)

• 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 stockproducts from the progeny or descendants of animals subjected to genetic engineering or cloning?

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

* Assured Chicken Production standards

15

The commitment to improving animal welfare standards demonstrated by some supermarkets through their investment in research and development

work 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, Tesco and Waitrose were able to provide details of projects that they have participated in through 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.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Investment in farm animal No Significant Significant “Advisory No Significant Significant

welfare research/development investment investment investment contracts but investment investment investment

in past 12 months (>10 (>10 no specific (>10 (>10

projects) projects) research” projects) projects)

Question asked:

• Please provide details of research projects on farm animal welfare that your company is currently participating in, or has participatedin over the past 12 months, as a strategic partner (by providing either funding or technical staff)?

SECTION 2: SUPERMARKET INVESTMENT IN FARM ANIMAL WELFARE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WORK

TABLE 4: SUPERMARKET INVESTMENT IN IMPROVING FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

CIWF Trust was particularly impressed with the work carried out by M&S in

the development of the Oakham chicken. This has allowed them to

convert all of their chicken meat production to using this slower-growing

strain. Slower-growing chickens are less susceptible to the serious welfare

problems associated with modern strains of broiler chickens bred for fast

growth rates. In recognition of this work, M&S win the CIWF Trust award

for ‘Investment and Innovation in Farm Animal Welfare Research 2005-

2006’. M&S state that part of the strategy in developing the Oakham

chicken was for improvements in leg health through breeding and nutrition

aimed at achieving a slower growth rate. Since the Oakham was

introduced they have noted a marked improvement in overall bird leg

health and this is reflected in the levels of lameness reported in this

survey, which are the lowest of any supermarket surveyed (see section 4).

Andrew Sachs presents theCIWF award for ‘Investmentand Innovation in FarmAnimal Welfare Research2005-2006’ to Marks andSpencer

16

Battery cages are tiny barren cages in which laying hens are unable to

move about properly, stretch, flap their wings, or even turn around without

difficulty. Hens in battery cages are prevented from carrying out most

normal patterns of behaviour including foraging, perching, dust-bathing

and laying their eggs in a nest, resulting in severe frustration. 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

agreeing to prohibit barren battery cages from 2012. Supermarkets have

an important role to play in preventing this major welfare reform from

being undermined by imports of eggs that do not meet EU welfare

standards. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets that have not already done

so to stop selling battery eggs and to only use non-cage eggs in their

processed foods and ready-made meals.

Marks & Spencer was 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. The 2005 survey has revealed a continuing

trend towards non-cage eggs. Table 5 shows that non-cage eggs now

make up over 50% of shell egg sales for all supermarkets surveyed,

except Somerfield. Waitrose sells only non-cage eggs in shell and now

uses only free-range eggs in all of their own-label processed foods and

ready-made meals. In a very welcome move, The Co-op has set a target

date of 2007 to stop selling caged shell eggs.

When the EU ban on barren battery cages comes into force, CIWF Trust is

concerned that the industry will turn to using so-called ‘enriched’ cages.

These contain a nest, litter and low perches but fail to overcome many of

the welfare problems inherent in the battery cage system. CIWF Trust

urges all supermarkets to follow the lead of M&S, Waitrose and Co-op in

adopting a policy of not selling eggs

produced in ‘enriched’ cages.

The vast majority of eggs sold by most

UK supermarkets come from hens that

have been beak-trimmed. This involves

amputating up to a third of the beak

and is carried out to help prevent

damaging feather-pecking and

cannibalism. Feather-pecking is

thought by scientists to be re-directed

ground pecking resulting from the lack

of opportunity for hens to engage in

natural foraging behaviour, which would

take up a large part of their time in a

natural environment. Waitrose is the

only supermarket to achieve a significant

proportion (around half) of hens not

being subjected to this painful mutilation.

SECTION 3: THE WELFARE OF LAYING HENS

© V

icky

Alh

adef

Free-range hens

Beak-trimming of a chick

17

TABLE 5: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF LAYING HENS

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Barren battery cage 42 34 0 32 75 41 0

“Enriched” cage 1 0 0 5 0 2 0

Barn 20 0 0 19 0 16 18

Free-range/organic 37 66 100 44 25 41 82

Target date for selling only Target Achieved Achievednon-cage shell eggs? No 2007 1997 No No No 1999

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

% Own label processed egg-containing foods made using non-cage eggs <1 8 100 20 4 26 100

Target date for using only Achieved non-cage egg ingredient in Achieved (own label processed foods? No No 2003 No No No only)

% Hens beak-trimmed 87 95 100 100 100 98 49

% Battery eggs clearly labelled 100 100 N/a 100 “Most” 100 N/a

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of shell eggs (both own label and branded) is produced in i. conventional battery cages, ii. “enriched” cages, iii. barn systems, iv. free-range systems?

• Has your company set a target date by which it intends to cease selling both own label and branded battery eggs?

• Of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label processed and ready-made meal products containing egg ingredient, what proportion currently uses egg ingredient from non-cage alternatives (barn, free-range, organic)?

• Has your company set a target date by which it intends to use only non-cage egg ingredient throughout its total UK sales volume of processed and ready-made meals containing egg ingredient?

• Does your company have a policy of not stocking eggs (both own label and branded) produced in furnished cages?

• What proportion of battery egg packs (both own label and branded) sold in your company’s stores is labelled using the clear, factual labelling term ‘Eggs from Caged Hens’?

% Shelleggsproducedin eachsystem:

18

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 6 shows that most supermarkets will accept

chickens crammed at stocking densities of 38 kg/m2. Waitrose have now

joined M&S in insisting that their suppliers meet the government guidelines

on stocking density. Sainsbury’s require their suppliers to plan to maintain

a stocking density of 34 kg/m2, although they allow this to be exceeded up

to a maximum of 38 kg/m2 on a temporary basis.

Table 6 reveals that the majority of chickens sold by most UK

supermarkets are intensively reared, including over 90% of chickens sold

by ASDA, Co-op, Somerfield and Tesco. 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 nearly a third of the chickens sold by Waitrose come from

these higher welfare systems. M&S is the first supermarket to stop

selling standard intensively reared chicken, with most of their chicken now

coming from semi-intensive indoor systems.

Broiler chickens have been bred to grow so quickly that they reach

slaughter weight in just 6 weeks. Often their bones, heart and lungs

cannot keep pace, causing many to suffer painful and crippling lameness

or heart failure. 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 barely able to move around.

Birds with a gait score of 3 to 5 are likely to be in considerable pain and

recent evidence suggests that all birds with a gait score of 1 or above are

likely to experience pain. All of the supermarkets surveyed now insist

that their suppliers keep records of lameness, although some only record

severe cases (gait score 3-5). Slower-growing breeds of chicken are less

susceptible to lameness and heart failure. The vast majority of chickens

sold by ASDA, Somerfield and Tesco are fast-growing strains. Around a

quarter of birds sold by Co-op

and Waitrose, and over 80% of

those sold by Sainsbury’s, are

slower-growing. M&S is the first

supermarket to achieve 100% of

their chicken coming from a

slower-growing strain and this is

reflected in the fact that they

have the lowest levels of

lameness of all the

supermarkets surveyed (0.18%).

SECTION 4: THE WELFARE OF BROILER (MEAT) CHICKENS

Free-rangebroiler (meat)chickens

Lame broiler (meat) chicken

19

TABLE 6: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF BROILER CHICKENS

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Intensive 97 93 0 75 97.5 94 8

Semi-intensive (e.g. Freedom Food) 0 6 90 5 1.5 0 60

Free-range/ organic 3 <1 10 20 1 6 32

Planned maximum 38 38 34 34 38 38 34

Absolute maximum 38 38 34 38 38 38 34

Slower-growing traditional breeds 0 6 0 0 <0.1 0.1 0

Slower-growing modern hybrids 3 19 100 81 1.5 8 30

% Birds with hock burn ? <10 ? <5 5 10 5

Suppliers required to keep records of Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes lameness? ? (GS 1-5) (GS 3-5) (GS 3-5) (GS 1-5) (GS 3-5) (GS 1-5)

Gait score (GS) 1-2 ? <5 (GS 1-5, ? ? <5 ? <1estimate 2 (GS 1-5)

Gait score (GS) 3-5 ? GS 3-5) 0.18 <5 0.4 0.3

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 intensively reared broiler chickens, ii. semi-intensively reared broiler chickens (e.g. Freedom Food), iii. free-range broiler chickens, and iv. organically reared broiler chickens?

• What are the maximum planned and absolute broiler chicken stocking densities permitted by your company for its suppliers of own label chicken (both UK-produced and imported)?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen chicken (both whole birds and chicken joints) is produced from i. traditional slower-growing breeds, and ii. slower-growing modern hybrids?

• What was the average level (%) of hock burn marking found on own label broiler chickens supplied to your company in the UK during thepast 12 months?

• Does your company require its suppliers of own label chicken to keep comprehensive records of the percentage of each flock affected by lameness to i. gait score 1-2, and ii. gait score 3-5 (including those culled)?

• What was the average percentage of each flock affected by lameness to i. gait score 1-2, and ii. gait score 3-5 (including those culled) on your suppliers’ farms during the past 12 months?

% Fresh andfrozen chickenfrom broilersreared in eachsystem:

Max. stockingdensity(kg/m2):

% Slowergrowing breeds:

% Birds withlameness inpast 12months

20

Turkeys are reared in similar conditions to broiler chickens and suffer from

the same welfare problems associated with fast growth rates. Table 7 shows

that the majority of turkeys sold by UK supermarkets are intensively reared,

including over 90% of those sold by ASDA, Sainsbury’s and Somerfield. All

of the supermarkets surveyed sell some free-range and/or organic turkeys

and nearly a third of the turkeys sold by M&S come from these more

humane systems. Most supermarkets report selling some slower-growing

turkeys, including over a fifth of those sold by Co-op, M&S and Tesco. Co-op

and Waitrose are the only supermarkets selling traditional breeds of turkey

that are much slower-growing than conventional modern strains.

SECTION 5: THE WELFARE OF TURKEYS, DUCKS AND GEESE

TABLE 7: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF TURKEYS

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Intensive 98 48 70 94 95 45 60

Semi-intensive (e.g.

Freedom Food/

pole barn) 0 51 0 0 0 44 14

Free-range/organic 2 <1 30 6 5 11 22

% Turkeys beak-trimmed ? 21 70 0 0 54 91

Slower-growing

traditional breeds 0 23 0 0 0 0 13

Slower-growing

modern hybrids 2 0 30 0 5 22 0

Questions 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. semi-intensively reared turkeys (e.g. Freedom Food/pole barn reared) iii. free-range turkeys and iv. organically reared turkeys?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen turkey (both whole birds and turkey joints) is produced from birds that have been beak-trimmed (including that proportion of birds for which the procedure was carried out on veterinary advice)?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen turkey (both whole birds and turkey joints) is produced from i. traditional slower-growing breeds, and ii. slower-growing modern hybrids?

% Freshand frozenturkeysreared ineachsystem:

% Slower

growing

breeds:

Free-range turkeys

21

Table 8 shows that the majority of ducks farmed for the major UK

supermarkets are also reared intensively, including all of those sold by

ASDA and Marks & Spencer. Waitrose is the only supermarket selling

100% free-range ducks. Table 9 shows that the situation is rather better

for geese - all of the geese sold by most supermarkets are reared in free-

range systems. Sainsbury’s is the only supermarket selling intensively

reared geese. CIWF Trust welcomes the fact that no supermarkets report

selling meat from bill-trimmed ducks.

TABLE 8: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF DUCKS

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Intensive 100 <5 100 80 0 0 0

Semi-intensive

(e.g. Freedom Food) 0 95 0 20 100 100 0

Free-range/organic 0 0 0 0 0 0 100

Immerse head 100 100 100 16 “Varies” 100 99

Swim 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

% Ducks bill-trimmed 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Questions asked:

• Of the total UK sales volume of fresh and frozen farmed duck (both own label and branded) sold by your company, what proportion is made up of i. intensively reared ducks, ii. semi-intensively reared ducks (e.g. Freedom Food), and iii. free-range ducks?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen farmed ducks were provided with access to sufficient water to allow them to i. immerse their head and ii. swim?

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

% Freshand frozenducksreared ineachsystem:

% Ducks providedwith sufficient waterto do the following:

Intensivelyreared ducks

22

The vast majority of ducks and geese reared for UK supermarkets are

denied access to open water that would allow them to perform their

natural behaviours. One notable exception is that all geese reared for

M&S are provided with sufficient water to allow them to swim. Some of

the ducks reared for Sainsbury’s and Somerfield do not even have access

to water in which they can immerse their heads. This is essential to

ensure good eye health and to allow the birds to maintain their plumage

in good condition.

TABLE 9: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF GEESE

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Intensive 0 0 0 36 0 0 0

Semi-intensive

(e.g. Freedom Food) 0 0 0 64 0 0 0

Free-range/organic 100 100 100 <0.2 100 100 100

Immerse head 100 100 0 100 100 100 95

Swim 0 0 100 0 0 0 5

Questions asked:

• Of the total UK sales volume of fresh and frozen goose (both own label and branded) sold by your company, what proportion is madeup of i. intensively reared geese ii. semi-intensively reared geese (e.g. Freedom Food) and iii. free-range geese?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen farmed geese were provided with access to sufficient water to allow them to i. immerse their head and ii. swim?

% Freshand frozengeesereared ineachsystem:

% Geese providedwith sufficient waterto do the following:

Free-rangegeese

23

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 stall or chained in a row by a heavy tether. The EU has

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

will be illegal from 2006. CIWF Trust believes it is unacceptable for UK

supermarkets to sell pig meat produced in a system that has been banned

here on cruelty grounds. This survey found that Sainsbury’s and Somerfield

are still selling a small proportion of stall-produced pig meat under their

own label. Most

companies did not supply

data for branded pig

meat.

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. Table 10

shows that 70% or more

of the pig meat sold by

ASDA, M&S, Sainsbury’s,

Somerfield and Tesco

comes from the offspring

of mothering sows kept in

narrow farrowing crates.

However, all

supermarkets sell some pig meat produced using more humane non-crate

indoor systems or outdoor farrowing without crates. Over half of the own

label pig meat sold by Co-op is produced using outdoor farrowing systems

without crates and Waitrose is the first supermarket to achieve all sows

farrowing in these more humane systems. 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, both

for comfort and because they naturally spend a large proportion of their

time rooting around, chewing and investigating their surroundings. EU

law now requires sows to be provided with manipulable material such as

straw to give them the opportunity to fulfil these behavioural needs. This

survey reveals that most supermarkets allow some sows to be reared

without access to such material, including nearly a third of sows for M&S.

ASDA and Waitrose are the only supermarkets ensuring that all sows are

provided with material such as straw.

SECTION 6: THE WELFARE OF PIGS

© Marek Spinka© Marek SpinkaSow confined in a farrowing crate

Sows andtheir pigletsin a straw-bedded indoorsystem

24

TABLE 10: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF BREEDING SOWS

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

% Fresh and frozen pig meat produced from progeny of sows kept in stalls/tethers 0* 0* 0 4* 7.5* 0* 0*

% Pig meat ingredient produced from progeny of sows kept in stalls/tethers ? 0 0 ? 0 0 0

Close confinement farrowing crate 70 42 90 72 89 78 0

Non-crate alternative indoor system 5 2 0 5 0 2 0

Outdoor farrowing without crates 25 56 10 24 8 20 100

Bedding material 100 98 70 88 91.5 72 100

“Toys” instead of bedding material 0 2 30 10 7.5 28 0

No bedding material or “toys” 0 0 0 1.5 0 0 0

% Pig meat produced from progeny of sows kept outdoors 25 56 10 26 6.5 20 100

% Outdoor sows nose-ringed ? 25 90 31.5 7 20 15

Questions asked:

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

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen pig meat 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 own label fresh and frozen pig meat is produced from sows provided with the following: i. natural bedding material in sufficient quantities to allow rooting and foraging behaviour, e.g. straw/wood shavings, ii. no bedding material but “toys” provided, e.g. footballs/chains, iii. no bedding material or “toys”?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen pig meat is produced from breeding sows kept outdoors?

• What proportion of outdoor kept sows for your company is nose-ringed?

* Data refers to own label product only

% Pig meatproducedusing eachfarrowingsystem:

% Pig meatproduced fromprogeny ofsows providedwith thefollowing:

25

CIWF Trust believes the rearing system with the highest welfare potential

for pigs is a well-managed outdoor farm. All supermarkets sell some

outdoor-bred pig meat. Waitrose is the first UK supermarket to source all

of their own-label pig meat from systems where the sows are kept

outdoors. Unfortunately, some outdoor-kept sows are nose-ringed for all

supermarkets surveyed, including 90% of outdoor sows for M&S. This

prevents sows from rooting and exploring their environment properly.

Pigs Reared for Slaughter

Bedding material is also important for pigs reared for slaughter to allow

the animals to exercise their exploratory behaviours. Where suitable

natural material is not provided, the barren environment can lead to

piglets biting each other’s tails. Tail-docking is used to help prevent tail-

biting. Scientific and practical evidence shows that by keeping pigs in

better conditions, the perceived need for tail docking can be eliminated.

The EU Directive on pigs requires, as of January 2003, the provision of

manipulable materials such as straw for pigs. Tail-docking is also not

permitted to be undertaken routinely and producers must take steps to

improve the environment for pigs before resorting to tail-docking to

control tail-biting. This survey reveals that serious breaches of this

legislation are still commonplace. Despite a ban on routine tail-docking of

piglets, 80% or more of the pig meat sold by all of the supermarkets

surveyed still comes from pigs that have been tail-docked. 40% or more

of pigs reared for Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury, Somerfield and Tesco are not

provided with manipulable material. CIWF Trust believes that not only is

this in itself breaching the law, it also makes it clear that many producers

are not even taking the most obvious action to improve the pigs’

environment before resorting to tail-docking. Table 11 shows that ASDA

and Waitrose are the only supermarkets ensuring that all pigs are

provided with straw or other suitable material. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to insist that suppliers comply with the law by providing

pigs with manipulable material to create a stimulating environment that

eliminates the perceived need for tail-docking.

Piglets often have their teeth clipped in an effort to stop injuries from

fighting piglets or to the sow’s teats and many are also castrated.

Castration of piglets is rare in the UK because pigs are slaughtered before

they reach sexual maturity, however imported pig meat is often from pigs

that have been castrated. A significant proportion of pigs reared for most

supermarkets have their teeth clipped and/or have been castrated.

Waitrose is the only supermarket not selling pig meat from castrated pigs.

Growing pigsin a barrenindoor system

26

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

reared indoors. Most supermarkets report selling a small proportion of pig meat from pigs that

have been both bred and reared outdoors, at least for part of their lives, and one fifth of the pig

meat sold by Waitrose comes from pigs which have spent their entire life outdoors.

TABLE 11: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF REARING PIGS

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Tail docking 80 85 90 89 93 85 80

Teeth clipping 85 65 45 49 57 80 15

Castration “Not much” 20 30 20 12 40 0

Bedding material 100 47 10 40 57 35 100

“Toys” instead of bedding material 0 53 ? 41 38 65 0

No bedding material or “toys” 0 0 ? 19 ? 0 0

Indoors 75 44 90 75 87 78 0

Born outdoors but housed after weaning 25 40 5 18 7 15 80

Outdoors for at least 50% of life 0 16 0 7 2 5 0

Outdoors for at least 80% of life 0 0 0 <1 0 2 0

Outdoors for entire life 0 0 5 <1 0 0 20

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen pig meat 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 own label fresh and frozen pig meat is produced from pigs reared for slaughter that are provided with the following: i. natural bedding material in sufficient quantities to allow rooting and foraging behaviour,e.g. straw/wood shavings, ii. no bedding material but “toys” provided, e.g. footballs/chains, iii. no bedding material or “toys”?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen pig meat is produced from pigs for slaughter that have been reared in the following systems: i. born and reared indoors for entire life, ii. born outdoors but housed after weaning, iii. born and reared outdoors for at least 50% of life, iv. born and reared outdoors for at least 80% of life, v. born and reared outdoors for entire life?

% Pig meatfrom fatteningpigs subjectedto mutilations:

% Pig meatfrom fatteningpigs providedwith thefollowing:

% Pigmeatproducedfrom pigsreared ineachsystem:

Free-range pigs

27

Sheep

CIWF Trust believes that all sheep should have access to the outdoors.

Table 12 shows that Sainsbury’s, Somerfield and Tesco report selling a small

proportion of sheep meat from lambs that are reared in permanent indoor

housing. The vast majority of sheep are tail-docked and over a third are

castrated for most supermarkets. Co-op is the only supermarket with 15%

or less of sheep being subjected to either of these painful mutilations.

Somerfield is the only supermarket selling sheep meat from lambs that

have been subjected to mulesing, a painful procedure which involves cutting

the skin away from the rump, usually without anaesthetic or pain relief.

Beef Cattle

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

are whether the animals are provided with suitable bedding and allowed

access to the outdoors, at least during the grazing season. Table 13 shows

that all beef cattle for Somerfield and Waitrose, and the vast majority for

M&S, are provided with bedding material when housed. Around a third of

beef cattle for ASDA and Co-op are reared without bedding. A small

proportion of beef cattle for all supermarkets except M&S and Waitrose is

from cattle reared in permanent indoor housing. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to ensure that cattle have bedding and access to the outdoors.

SECTION 7: THE WELFARE OF SHEEP AND CATTLE

TABLE 12: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF SHEEP

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Tail docking “Most” 10 80 >90 92 90 100

Mulesing 0 0 0 0 4 0 0

Castration ? 15 40 38 40 40 35

% Sheep meat from lambs reared

permanently indoors 0 0 0 <2 <1 1 0

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label sheep meat is produced from lambs that have been subjected to the following procedures: i. tail docking, ii. mulesing, iii. castration (including those for whom the operation was carried out on veterinary advice)?

• What proportion of your company's total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen sheep meat is produced from lambs reared in permanent indoor housing?

% Sheep meatproduced fromlambs subjectedto mutilations:

Lamb followingthe mulesingprocedure

28

Around a third of beef sold by Somerfield, and a small proportion for most supermarkets, is from ‘double-

muscled’ breeds of cattle. In view of the calving difficulties associated with double-muscled breeds, such

as the Belgian Blue, CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to follow the lead of M&S by making a policy

commitment not to accept beef from these breeds.

TABLE 13: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF BEEF CATTLE

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Permanent indoor housing (zero-grazing) <1 <2 0 <5 10 8 0

Daytime outdoor access during grazing season 0 0 0 0 3 0 0

Outdoor access day and night during grazing season 99 93 95 95 59 50 0

Daytime outdoor accessthroughout year 0 0 0 0 6 0 0

Outdoor access but housed at beginning and/or end of rearing for up to 25% of life 0 0 0 0 15 40 90

Permanent outdoor access throughout year 0 <5 5 0 7 2 10

% Fresh and frozen beef from cattle provided with bedding material when housed 60 70 99 80 100 85 100

% Fresh and frozen beef from double- muscled breeds (eg. Belgian Blue) 1 <3 0 5 30 8 6

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

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen beef is produced from cattle reared in the following systems: i. permanent indoor housing, ii. indoor housing with daytime access to the outdoors during the grazing season, iii.indoor housing with outdoor access day and night during the grazing season, iv. indoor housing with daytime outdoor access throughout year, v. outdoor access but housed at end of rearing, vi. permanent outdoor access throughout year, vii. other?

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

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

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

% Freshand frozen beefproducedin eachsystem:

Beef cattle

29

Dairy Cattle

High welfare systems for dairy cows should provide access to the

outdoors, at least during the day in 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. Table 14 shows that

a small proportion of cows producing milk for most supermarkets are

tethered in the cowshed or kept in highly intensive ‘zero grazing’ systems,

where the cows are housed permanently indoors. M&S is the only

supermarket for which all dairy cows have outdoor access.

TABLE 14: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF DAIRY CATTLE

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Indoors permanently (zero-grazing) <1 <1 0 <1 1 <1 1

Tethered indoors with untethered daily access to pasture 0 <1 0 <1 1 <1 0

Daytime outdoor access during grazing season 0 3 4 2 0 0 3

Outdoor access day and night during grazing season 99 95 96 96 98 99 95

Daytime outdoor access throughout the year 0 <1 0 <1 0 0 1

Permanent outdoor access throughout year 0 <1 0 <1 0 0 0

% Own label milk from dairy cattle provided with bedding material when housed 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

% Own label milk from breeds other than Holstein/Friesian ? 4 3 3.5 6 6 3

Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label milk is produced from cows that are kept in the following systems: i. permanent indoor housing (zero-grazing), ii. tethered indoors with untethered daily access to pasture, iii. housed withouttethering with daytime outdoor access during grazing season, iv. housed without tethering with outdoor access day and night during grazing season, v. housed without tethering with daytime outdoor access throughout year, vi. permanent outdoor access throughout year?

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label milk is produced from cows that are provided with bedding material such as straw when housed?

• What proportion of your own label milk is produced from breeds other than Holstein/Friesian, e.g. Ayrshire?

% Ownlabelmilkfromdairycattlekept ineachsystem:

30

The majority of milk sold in UK supermarkets is produced by Holstein type

cattle. These cattle have been selectively bred for such high milk yields that

they are prone to lameness, mastitis and metabolic diseases. Most are culled

after just three lactations because they are exhausted, chronically lame or

infertile. Pure-bred male dairy calves are often shot at birth because many

farmers do not consider it to be economic to rear them for beef.

CIWF Trust welcomes the fact that all dairy cattle are provided with

bedding material for all the supermarkets surveyed but urges all

supermarkets to abandon the use of tethering and zero-grazing systems

and encourage the use of dual-purpose breeds of cattle where the cows

are placed under less physiological strain and the male calves can be

reared for beef.

© Colin Seddon

The shear size ofthe udder in themodern dairycow forces thehind legs into anunnaturalposition, makingthem prone tolameness

Dairy cow andher calf beforeseparation

31

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 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, none of them meet both of

these requirements for all calves. All veal calves for M&S and Tesco are reared

without bedding. Sainsbury’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.

SECTION 8: EXOTIC/LUXURY ANIMAL PRODUCTS AND THE WELFARE OF OTHER FARMED ANIMALS

TABLE 15: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON VEAL CALF WELFARE

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

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

Group housing without

bedding N/a N/a 100 62 N/a 100 42

Group housing with bedding N/a N/a 0 38 N/a 0 48

% Veal from calves group-housed

throughout the entire rearing period N/a N/a 100 0 N/a 100 100

Question asked:

• Does your company sell veal and, if so, what proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of veal (both own label and branded) is produced in i. veal crates, ii. group housing, except during the first few weeks of life, without bedding material, iii. grouphousing, except during the first few weeks of life, with bedding material, iv. group housing throughout the entire rearing period without bedding material, v. group housing throughout the entire rearing period with bedding material?

% Vealfromcalvesrearedin eachsystem:

Veal calveshoused inbarren pens

32

Farmed Deer

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.

Table 16 shows that all of the surveyed supermarkets which sell venison

use dedicated deer slaughterhouses. All deer for the supermarkets

surveyed are slaughtered at the nearest available dedicated deer abattoir

and transport times to slaughter are therefore relatively short, with an

average journey time of 3 hours or less for all supermarkets. CIWF Trust

believes that all farmed deer should be kept permanently outdoors.

Waitrose is the only supermarket for which deer are housed during winter.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Dedicated deer

abattoir 100 100 100 100 100

Standard red meat

abattoir 0 0 0 0 0

% Venison from deer housed

during winter ? 0 0 0 100

Journey time to Maximum ? 8h 8h 8h 8h

slaughter (hours) Average 30min 1h 2h 30min 2h 20min 3h

% Slaughtered at nearest abattoir 100 100 100 100 100

Questions asked:

• Does your company sell meat from farmed deer and, if so, what proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of farmed venison is produced from animals slaughtered i. in a dedicated deer slaughterhouse not used for the killing of other red meat animalsor ii. in a standard red meat abattoir?

• Are any of the farmed deer for your company housed indoors at any time of year (if yes, please give details)?

• What is the maximum journey time from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, permitted by your company for farmed deer?

• What is the average journey time from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, for farmed deer reared for your company?

• What proportion of farmed deer are slaughtered at the nearest available abattoir (having facilities to accommodate that species) for your company?

% Venison fromfarmed deerslaughtered byeach method:

N/a N/a

TABLE 16: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FARMED DEER Intensively farmed deer

33

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. Tesco and Waitrose are the only supermarkets

selling quail meat, all intensively farmed. Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose

sell quail eggs. All of the quail eggs sold by Sainsbury’s and Tesco are

from caged quail. Waitrose is the first supermarket to achieve 100% of

their quail eggs coming from higher welfare free-range systems. CIWF

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

products from non-intensive systems with the potential for higher welfare.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Intensive 100 100

Free-range 0 0

Cages 100 100 0

Loose housing 0 0 0

Free-range 0 0 100

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 in i. intensive systems, and ii. free-range systems?

• 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, ii. quail kept in loose housing (such as deep litter) and iii. free-range quail?

% Farmed quailmeat producedin each system:

% Quail eggsproduced in eachsystem:

N/a N/a N/a N/a

N/a

TABLE 17: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF QUAIL

34

Other Farmed Species and Exotic/Luxury AnimalProducts

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. Table 18 shows that

most of the supermarkets surveyed do not sell foie gras, frogs’ legs,

ostrich or other ratite meat, kangaroo meat or farmed rabbit meat.

Sainsbury’s is the only supermarket selling foie gras and rabbit meat. All

of their rabbit meat comes from caged rabbits.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Foie gras sold? No No No Yes No No No

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

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

Kangaroo meat sold? No No No No No No No

Rabbit meat sold? No No No Yes No No No

Question asked:

• Does your company sell the following (own label or branded) at any time during the year: i. foie gras or products containing foie gras, ii. frogs’ legs, iii. meat from ostrich, emu or other ratites, iv. kangaroo meat, v. rabbit meat?

TABLE 18: SUPERMARKET SALES OF OTHER FARMED SPECIES AND EXOTIC/LUXURY ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Farmed Salmon

Most farmed salmon are reared intensively. Table 19 shows that most

salmon reared in sea cages are kept at a stocking density of 15-25 kg of

fish per cubic metre of water. A stocking density of 20 kg/m3 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.

SECTION 9: THE WELFARE OF FARMED FISH

Intensively farmed rabbits

35

Another major welfare concern for farmed fish is the slaughter method

used. Some salmon are killed using carbon dioxide stunning before

having their gills cut, a method condemned by CIWF Trust on welfare

grounds. Co-op, M&S and Waitrose remain the only supermarkets to

achieve 100% of their salmon killed using the more humane method of

percussive stunning. Around a third of the farmed salmon sold by ASDA,

Sainsbury’s, Somerfield and Tesco is still killed using carbon dioxide.

Farmed salmon are often starved for up to 2 weeks 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, starvation periods have actually

risen for several companies, with salmon for most supermarkets being

starved on average for about a week. M&S is the only supermarket to

keep the average starvation period down to 3 days.

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. Consumers wishing to purchase more humanely

produced salmon can choose organically farmed fish. Several

supermarkets sell organic salmon, with over a quarter of the salmon sold

by Waitrose coming from this higher welfare system.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Maximum stocking density (kg/m3) 20-25 20 15 20 20 25 15-20*

% Organically produced 0 0 10** 3 0 4 27

Starvation period before Maximum 15 10 7 10 15 14 14

slaughter (days): Average 7-15 6 3 6 6 7 6

Percussive

stunning 60 100 100 67 65 65 100

Carbon dioxide 40 0 0 33 35 35 0 Questions asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen farmed salmon 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)?

• What are the i. average and ii. maximum permitted starvation periods before slaughter for salmon farmed for your company?

• Does your company insist on a maximum fish stocking density from its farmed salmon suppliers, and what is this maximum (kg salmon/metre3 of water)?

* Average across production cycle must not exceed 15kg/m3** 2003 data

% Stunned/killedusing eachmethod:

TABLE 19: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FARMED SALMON

A farmed salmon

36

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. Table 20 shows that some supermarkets allow stocking

densities that can be much higher even than this.

There has been some very welcome progress by many supermarkets on

slaughter methods for farmed trout. Since the 2003 survey, Co-op, M&S,

Somerfield and Tesco have all joined Waitrose in achieving 100% of their

farmed trout being killed using more humane methods involving

percussive or electrical stunning. All of the trout sold by ASDA are still

killed using asphyxiation, which causes the fish to suffer for a prolonged

time before becoming unconscious. This method has been condemned by

the UK Government’s advisory Farm Animal Welfare Council.

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. Consumers wishing to

purchase trout reared in less intensive systems can choose organically

farmed trout. Half of the trout sold by Co-op is organically produced, and

Waitrose is the first supermarket to achieve 100% of their farmed trout

coming from this higher welfare system.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Maximum stocking density (kg/m3) ? 30 30 25 Freshwater 20 60 29(organic 20) Saltwater 40

% Organically produced ? 50 0* 8 ? 0 100

Electrocution 0 100 100 0 100 (freshwater) 100 0

Percussive stunning 0 0 0 57 100 (saltwater) 0 100

Carbon dioxide 0 0 0 43 0 0 0

Asphyxiation 100 0 0 0 0 0 0

Questions asked:• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen farmed trout 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?

• 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)?

* 2003 data

% Stunned/killedusing eachmethod:

TABLE 20: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON THE WELFARE OF FARMED TROUT Farmed trout

37

Other Farmed Fish

Table 21 shows that the majority of other farmed fish species sold by the

major UK supermarkets are killed using inhumane methods. The one

exception is that all halibut farmed for M&S are percussively stunned.

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 22 shows that in general, the proportion of meat

animals sourced from livestock markets remains at a welcome low level.

M&S and Waitrose are the only supermarkets that have dispensed with

markets entirely for their own label meat. CIWF Trust urges all

supermarkets to abandon the use of livestock markets altogether.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Gilthead sea bream ? Asphyxiation N/a Asphyxiation N/a N/a Asphyxiation

Halibut ? N/a Percussive Carbon N/a N/a N/a stun dioxide

Sea bass ? Asphyxiation Asphyxiation Asphyxiation N/a N/a Asphyxiation

Tilapia ? N/a N/a Asphyxiation N/a N/a Asphyxiation

Question asked:• Does your company sell any other own label farmed fish species and, if so, what are the slaughter methods used for each species?

TABLE 21: SLAUGHTER METHODS OF FARMED FISH SOLD BY UK SUPERMARKETS

SECTION 10: LIVESTOCK MARKETS, TRANSPORT AND SLAUGHTER

Sheepcrowded intomarket pens

38

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 are

transported 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.

Table 23 reveals that all supermarkets surveyed set a maximum journey

time of 8 hours or less for red meat animals travelling to slaughter.

However, maximum journey times for poultry are generally set far too

high. Satisfactory maximums are set by Waitrose for ducks (3 hours) and

by Somerfield and Waitrose for

geese (4 hours and 2 hours

respectively). It is very

disappointing that no

supermarket has set an

acceptable maximum for spent

laying hens, broilers or turkeys.

Several companies allow

journeys of up to 12 hours or

do not specify a maximum at

all for spent laying hens. CIWF

Trust urges all supermarkets to

reduce their maximum

permitted journey times for all

poultry to 4 hours or less.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Sheep meat 15 <5 0 5 14 15 0

Beef 5 <5 0 4.5 6 0 0

Question asked:

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

TABLE 22: PROPORTION OF SUPERMARKET OWN LABEL FRESH MEAT SOURCED FROM LIVESTOCK MARKETS

Sheep intransit

Broiler (meat)chickens intransportcrates

39

JOURNEY TIMES (HOURS) ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Maximum journey ? 10h 12h 12h None set 8h 8h

Average journey ? 5h 5h 6h 42min ? 4h 30min 6h

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 100 ? 90 80

Maximum journey 12h 6h 8h 12h 8h 8h 12h

Average journey ? 3h 3h 1h 30min 3h 3h 10min 3h 50min

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 90 80 85 100

Turkeys Maximum journey 7h 6h 8h 12h 8h 8h 5h

Average journey ? 2h 3h 2h 4h 1h 20min 2h 30min

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 95 80 90 100

Ducks Maximum journey 8h 6h 8h 12h 6h 8h 3h

Average journey ? 2h 3h 2h 3h 30min 1h 5min 1h 30min

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 95 80 100 100

Geese Maximum journey ? 6h 8h 12h 4h 8h 2h

Average journey ? 2h 2h 1h 45min 2h 25min 1h

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 100 80 100 100

Pigs Maximum journey 8h 6h 8h 8h 8h 8h 5h

Average journey ? 2 – 3h 4h 2h 56min 4h 3h 5min 2h 30min

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 90 90 85 85

Sheep Maximum journey 8h 6h 8h 8h 8h 8h 8h

Average journey ? 1 – 2h 2h 2h 12min 3h 30min 3h 20min 2h 30min

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 95 80 80 70

Cattle Maximum journey 8h 6h 8h 8h 8h 8h 8h

Average journey ? 1 – 2h 2h 2h 3h 3h 10min 3h 50min

% Nearest abattoir ? 100 100* 90 80 80 95

Questions asked:

• What are the maximum total journey times from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading, allowed by your company for i. spent laying hens, ii. broiler chickens, iii. turkeys, iv. ducks, v. geese, vi. pigs, vii. sheep and viii. cattle (hours)?

• What are the average journey times from farm to slaughter, including loading and unloading for i. spent laying hens, ii. broiler chickens, iii. turkeys, iv. ducks, v. geese, vi. pigs, vii. sheep and viii. cattle for your company (hours)?

• What proportion of i. spent laying hens, ii. broiler chickens, iii. turkeys, iv. ducks, v. geese, vi. pigs, vii. sheep and viii. cattle are slaughtered at the nearest available abattoir (having facilities to accommodate that species) for your company?

* Excluding small local abattoirs not approved by M&S

TABLE 23: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON WELFARE DURING TRANSPORT

Spentlayinghens

Broilerchickens

40

Some animals are travelling further than necessary to slaughter because

they are not slaughtered at the nearest available abattoir with facilities for

that species. In general, supermarkets will only use certain abattoirs that

have been approved as meeting their specific requirements for hygiene

and animal welfare. Whilst it is obviously important to avoid using

abattoirs that do not achieve high standards, this practice may result in

the exclusion of small local abattoirs. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets

to support small local abattoirs and work with them to achieve high

standards in order to reduce the distance travelled by animals to

slaughter. Co-op states that they use regional abattoirs and small

processing plants in order to minimise journey times for animals. This is

reflected in the fact that they are the only supermarket to achieve all of

their animals being slaughtered at the nearest available abattoir and they

are able to set the lowest maximum journey times overall, with a limit of

6 hours for all animals except spent laying hens.

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. Except in the case of spent laying hens, average

journey times for all supermarkets do not exceed 4 hours for any species.

Slaughter

It is very welcome to see that all supermarkets surveyed either do not

sell meat from animals slaughtered by religious methods or ensure that

such animals are stunned before slaughter. However, table 24 reveals

that Somerfield and Tesco are only able to guarantee this for meat sold

under their own label. CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to ensure that

all of their meat, including branded meat, is from animals that have been

stunned.

ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

All meat including poultry derived Yes Yes

from animals subject to (own label (own label

pre-slaughter stunning? Yes Yes Yes Yes only) only) Yes

Question asked:

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

TABLE 24: SUPERMARKET PERFORMANCE ON WELFARE AT SLAUGHTER

41

The 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. Antibiotic growth promoters are banned across the

EU from 2006. However, the prophylactic use of antibiotics will still be

permitted. CIWF Trust believes that antibiotics should only be used

therapeutically to treat existing disease.

Table 25 shows the proportion of meat sold under supermarkets’ own

labels 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 and their

routine use in poultry production appears to have diminished. However,

antibiotics are still used routinely in the production of some own label pig

meat for most supermarkets.

ANTIBIOTICS IN LIVESTOCK FARMING

% Sales volume own label meat produced ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose WITHOUT the routine use of antibiotics for the following purposes:

Chicken Growth promotion 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Prophylactic use ? 100 100 ? ? 100 100

Turkey Growth promotion 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Prophylactic use ? 100 100 ? ? 100 100

Pig meat Growth promotion 100 65 100 100 100 80 100

Prophylactic use ? 55 100 ? 65 100 95

Growth promotion 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Prophylactic use ? 100 100 ? 100 100 100

Beef Growth promotion 100 100 100 100 100 100 100

Prophylactic use ? 100 100 ? 100 100 100

Question asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume of own label fresh and frozen i. chicken, ii. turkey, iii. pig meat, iv. sheep meat and v. beef 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?

TABLE 25: ROUTINE USE OF ANTIBIOTICS IN SUPERMARKET ‘OWN LABEL’ MEAT PRODUCTION

Sheepmeat

42

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 26 summarises the proportion of supermarket sales of

fresh meat, milk and eggs that are produced in organic systems. For consumers

wishing to avoid intensively farmed animal products, all of the supermarkets

surveyed sell some organic meat, milk and eggs, although they make up only a

small proportion of sales in a few product categories for ASDA and Somerfield.

Waitrose provides the best overall range with at least some organic produce in all

livestock categories and over 15% of sales of eggs, chicken, milk and farmed fish,

including 100% of farmed trout, coming from animals reared in organic systems.

SUPERMARKET SALES OF ORGANIC LIVESTOCK PRODUCTS

% Organically produced ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose

Shell eggs 3 5 30 8 0 9 19

Fresh chicken 1 <1 5 5 1 2 21

Fresh turkey 1 0 10 3 0 3 4

Fresh duck 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Fresh goose 0 0 0 <1 0 0 5

Fresh pig meat ? 0 ? 3 0 2 5

Fresh sheep meat ? 0 ? 5.5 0 6 7

Fresh beef ? 1 ? 5.5 0 2 8.5

Fresh milk ? 1 ? 7 2 4 16

Fresh farmed salmon ? 0 ? 3 0 4 27

Fresh farmed trout ? 50 ? 8 0 0 100

Question asked:

• What proportion of your company’s total UK sales volume (both own label and branded) in each livestock category is organically produced?

TABLE 26: SUPERMARKET SALES OF ORGANICALLY PRODUCED ANIMAL PRODUCTS

Organicfarming aimsto work inharmonywith theenvironment

43

CIWF Trust is encouraging supermarkets to progress toward a 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, 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, beak-trimming 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 or luxury 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 would be sourced from livestock auction markets.

• All animals would be slaughtered on the farm of rearing or at the

local abattoir to minimise journey times.

• 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 detailed animal welfare

policy with targets that are actively reviewed on an annual basis. A

main Board or Executive member would have 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.

THE ‘IDEAL’ WELFARE-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKET OF THE FUTURE

44

CRITERIA FOR THE ‘IDEAL’ ASDA Co-op M&S Sainsbury’s Somerfield Tesco Waitrose WELFARE-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKET:

Broiler chickens

Laying hens ✓✓

Turkeys

Ducks ✓✓

Geese ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓

Breeding sows ✓✓

Rearing pigs

Sheep ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓ ✓✓

Beef cattle ✓✓ ✓✓

Dairy cattle ✓✓

Farmed salmon

Farmed trout ✓✓

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 luxury/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 (/21) 3 4 9 0 2 3 9

TABLE 27: SUPERMARKET ACHIEVEMENT OF TOTAL COMPLIANCE ON INDIVIDUAL CRITERIAFOR THE ‘IDEAL’ WELFARE-FRIENDLY SUPERMARKET OF THE FUTURE

All animalsreared infree-rangeor organicsystems

45

Table 27 reveals that Marks & Spencer and Waitrose achieve total

compliance on the greatest number of individual criteria for CIWF Trust’s

vision of the ‘ideal’ welfare-friendly supermarket, each meeting 9 out of

21 criteria. Waitrose is the only supermarket to achieve the following:

• All ducks, breeding sows and farmed trout are reared in free-range

or organic systems.

Marks & Spencer is the only supermarket to achieve the following:

• All laying hens and dairy cattle are reared in free-range or organic

systems.

• No products are sold from animals treated with antibiotic growth

promoters or genetically engineered production enhancers.

All supermarkets except Sainsbury’s meet one criterion for the ‘ideal’

welfare-friendly supermarket:

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

Sainsbury’s is the only supermarket not to meet any criteria for the ‘ideal’

welfare-friendly supermarket.

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 ten 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.

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.

However, this has been taken into account when dividing the questions into

sections in an attempt to produce a fair reflection of overall supermarket

performance on animal welfare. Hence, 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.

COMPASSIONATE SUPERMARKET OF THE YEAR 2005-2006

The supermarkets are ranked on their responses to each question. The supermarket with the best performance is awarded 6 points, the next best 5

points, and so on until the seventh 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 (e.g. 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 6) for each

section. The section scores are then added to give the total score out of a possible maximum of 60 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 the potential for good 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 28. Copies of the full

scoring system, including the points awarded for each individual question, are available upon

request from CIWF Trust. The winning scores for each section are highlighted in bold type.

Waitrose achieved the highest overall score and receives the CIWF Trust ‘Compassionate

Supermarket of the Year 2005-2006’ award for the second year in succession. Waitrose achieved

the highest scores for ‘the welfare of laying hens’, ‘the welfare of turkeys, ducks and geese’ and

‘the welfare of pigs’, and the joint highest scores for ‘investment in animal welfare research’ and

‘the welfare of farmed fish’. Marks & Spencer is the runner-up and achieved the highest scores

for ‘the welfare of broiler chickens’ and ‘the welfare of sheep and cattle’, and the joint highest

scores for ‘investment in animal welfare research’ and ‘the welfare of farmed fish’. The Co-

operative Group finishes in third place and has significantly closed the gap on the top two

supermarkets. In recognition of this, The Co-operative Group receives the ‘Most Improved

Supermarket 2005-2006’ award. They achieved the highest scores for ‘animal welfare policy’ and

‘markets, transport and slaughter’, and the joint highest scores for ‘investment in animal welfare

research’ and ‘exotic/luxury animal products and the welfare of other farmed animals’.

46

47

SCORE Waitrose M&S Co-op Tesco Sainsbury Somerfield ASDA

Section 1: Animal welfare policy (/6) 4.86 5.14 5.71 4.43 4.57 3.57 3.00

Section 2: Investment in animal welfare

research and development (/6) 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 2.00 0.00 0.00

Section 3: Welfare of laying hens (/6) 5.43 5.14 3.43 1.57 1.29 0.14 1.14

Section 4: Welfare of broiler chickens (/6) 4.80 5.60 2.60 2.20 4.20 0.60 0.60

Section 5: Welfare of turkeys, ducks

and geese (/6) 5.00 4.09 4.09 4.45 2.18 3.55 2.64

Section 6: Welfare of pigs (/6) 5.36 2.36 3.50 2.36 2.36 2.00 3.07

Section 7: Welfare of sheep and cattle (/6) 4.25 5.00 4.58 3.33 3.00 2.67 3.33

Section 8: Exotic/luxury animal products

and welfare of other animals (/6) 4.50 5.36 6.00 4.43 2.79 6.00 5.57

Section 9: Welfare of farmed fish (/6) 4.63 4.63 3.75 2.75 2.25 2.75 0.13

Section 10: Markets, transport and

slaughter (/6) 4.50 4.71 5.29 3.57 3.68 2.25 1.32

TOTAL SCORE (/60) 49.3 48.0 45.0 35.1 29.3 23.5 20.8

POSITION 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

TABLE 28: COMPASSIONATE SUPERMARKET OF THE YEAR 2005-2006

48

CIWF Trust’s ‘Raising the Standard’ supermarket survey aims to encourage

progress toward higher standards of farm animal welfare throughout the

retail sector. In this 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 biennially,

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 2005 survey results, the following

recommendations for short-term progress are offered:

• CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to follow the lead of Marks &

Spencer and Waitrose 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 urges all supermarkets to insist on reduced stocking

densities for indoor-reared broiler chickens, to encourage the use of

slower-growing strains, and to promote greater sales of free-range

and organic chickens.

• CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist that farmed ducks and

geese are provided with access to open water, and to promote

greater sales of free-range and organic poultry.

• CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to stop selling pig meat from

stall or tether systems, to push for a reduction in levels of tail-

docking by insisting that all pigs are provided with manipulable

material such as straw, and to promote greater sales of outdoor-

reared pig meat.

• CIWF Trust urges all supermarkets to insist that all sheep and

cattle are provided with access to the outdoors, at least during the

grazing season.

• CIWF Trust urges supermarkets to provide bedding material for all

farmed animals.

• 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 still obtaining some animals

from livestock markets to abandon using them altogether.

• CIWF Trust urges 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. Policies on

maximum journey times should be equally applicable to imported

meat as well as animals produced domestically.

• CIWF Trust urges those supermarkets that have not already done

so to set a clear policy of not stocking own label or branded

produce from genetically engineered or cloned animals, or their

descendants.

CIWF Trust

would like to

thank all

participating

supermarkets

for their help

and co-

operation with

this survey.

CIWF TRUST RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROGRESS ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

49

Notes

50

Notes

1

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SUPERMARKETS AND FARM ANIMAL WELFARE‘RAISING THE STANDARD’Compassion in World Farming Trust Supermarket Survey 2005-2006

2006

Heather Pickett

ISBN 1 900156 37 7