BRF Global
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Animal Welfare

Commitments

BRF Sustainability Plan

In line with the Sustainability Policy, in 2020 we also launched the BRF Sustainability Plan, which has 22 commitments to increase our transparency and reinforce 5 ambitions by 2030:

1. Act in synergy with our partners and positively impact the communities

2. Innovate and achieve sustainable solutions for global challenges

3. Promote animal welfare

4. Be inclusive, plural and diverse

5. Preserve the environment and be eco-efficient

We have established crosscutting commitments to ESG aspects, connected with BRF's 2030 Vision. Our work focuses on topics such as diversity, combating waste and climate change, efficient management of natural resources, animal welfare and social investment.

BRF has strived to avoid routine mutilations and eliminate, as far as possible, these practices. We already have a commitment not to cut beaks in broiler chickens, not to cut ears and teeth in pigs, not to cut wings in egg-producing chickens and not cut of the tail in cattle. All surgical intervention should only be done to avoid pain and suffering to animals, as is the case of tail cutting in pigs.

Compromissos públicos

Public goals

All species Poultry Swine

Main Animal Welfare Guidelines:

1. The main animal welfare guidelines are established in the updated document, demonstrating the company's commitment at all levels to animal welfare:

Documento Compromissos BEA
Access our Animal Welfare document Commitments, updated in December 2019, and and learn about our main guidelines.

2. Ensuring the non-use of growth-promoting antibiotics in the chain.

Since the beginning of 2019, BRF has not used antibiotics as growth promoters in its raising chain globally.

3. Implementing environmental enrichment (improving the environment) in 100% of the finishing phase by 2025.

Environmental enrichment in the care of animals consists of improving their physical and psychological well-being and providing the environmental stimuli necessary to optimize their quality of life. The objective of EE is to improve or maintain physical and mental health by increasing the amount of natural behaviors of the species using space positively.

The use of this tool is in line with pillar 4 of the Animal Welfare Program made at BRF, which is the Behavior Learn more at: https://www.brf-global.com/en/sustainability/animal-welfare/our-responsibility/

4. Certify 100% of BRF plants in animal welfare by 2025.

Currently, 100% of pigs are slaughtered in units that have third-party certification, through the North-American Meat Institute, exclusively in the animal welfare theme. For broiler chickens, 85.2% of the chicken certified as third party, according to the protocol of the National Chicken Council and 100% of the turkeys are slaughtered as third party, according to the protocol of the National Turkey Federation

The audits are conducted by professionals approved by the Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization (PAACO). In 2023, 7 new poultry and pig slaughter processes were certified, in addition to the recertification of the processes.

1. Globally employ only cage-free chicken eggs in industrial food processes by 2025.

BRF has made a commitment that by 2025 it will no longer buy eggs from suppliers who raise chickens in cages in all its industrialized food production processes. We use eggs in the production of our industrialized companies such as: pizza, pies and cheese bread. The commitment to use cage-free eggs is 100% met in Brazil and considering the global scope, the percentage is 96.3% met.


2. Ensure that 100% of the birds in the BRF integration system globally are cage-free by 2023.

Commitment met globally by March 2023. 100% of the poultry raised at BRF are cage-free.

1. Implement 100% collective gestation housing for pig sows by 2026.

Our commitment is based on the European Union legislation, Directive 120 of 2008 on the protection of pigs.

Since 2023, BRF has adopted the pre-implantation model to eliminate crates completely for all new projects, to improve its animal welfare standards for housing sows (pregnant pigs).

In the collective bay, the female interacts and has even more conditions to express her natural behavior. The reduction of confinement also avoids stress, besides sanitary and physiological problems that are caused by the possibility of little movement.

Know more

  • By 2015
    15% executed
  • Até 2016 to 2018
    29% executed

    In 2016, adjustments to the collective gestation system benefited 20,950 breeding sows, totaling, since 2015, 103,000 breeding sows in collective gestation crates, accounting for 20% of the BRF nursery beds.

    2016 was a tough year for the Brazilian economic scenario, which retracted funding sources for these activities, considering that BRF purchased nursery beds that were not in line with the system recommended by the company.

  • 2019
    35% executed

    We have met the goal for 2019 and have 35% of our stock of breeding sows in a group housing system for pregnant sows. This means more than 140,000 sows in suitable facilities, in line with the best animal welfare guidelines.

  • 2020
    45% executed

    WWe exceeded the proposed target for 2020 (expected to be 40%) and we have 45% of the sows in the collective gestation system. This means more than 180,000 females in adequate facilities according to the best practicies of animal welfare, being able to exercise their natural behavior of socialization among individuals and move freely in the facility.

  • 2021
    54% goal

    Although we have increased our total team of sows in recent years and with the challenging scenario generated by COVID-19 in 2020, we propose to advance in meeting our commitment to animals.

  • 2026
    100% goal

Improving more and more our practices, we try to realize the possible minimum of physical changes in the animals and for this we commit ourselves:

2. Ensure that 100% of pigs raised in the BRF are not identified * through mutilations until 2021.

We made the commitment in December 2020, when 99% of our global pig population was identified by tattoo or ear tag. In the year 2021 we have anticipated the commitment and 100% of our global pig population will not undergo any physical change for animal identification and traceability.

3. Ensure that 100% of pigs raised in BRF do not undergo tooth cutting and wear until 2021**.

Teeth removal from piglets is a routine practice employed in modern pig farming to reduce the incidence of skin lesions on the piglets’ faces and sows' teats. However, this practice already has alternative managements that allow it to no longer be used. Currently, 100% of our global population is free from this mutilation routinely.

4. Ensure that 100% of male pigs are not castrated surgically until 2022 ***.

Currently, 99.87% of the global male pig herd undergoes immunocastration, which allows the animal not to undergo surgical intervention in order to be castrated. 0.3% of the herd is surgically castrated using anesthesia prior to the procedure. 100% of the females are not castrated. The aim is that, by 2024, 100% will be castrated using the immunocastration method.

5. Guarantee the use of analgesic for 100% of the pig tail cutting procedures until 2025.

* Pigs are identified by a numbering that guarantees the traceability of the animals.

** In extreme cases (when the welfare of the animals is compromised) the practice will be admitted. The commitments are in line with the practices promoted by the 3T's group and the 4Rs concept.

*** Guarantee that when surgical castration is necessary for the production of specific products, it must be performed with the use of analgesics and anesthesia.

The commitments go against the 3T's practices and the 4Rs concept:

  • Reduce: Reduce the number of physical changes
  • Refine: Refine/Optimize processes
  • Replace: Replace practices
  • Responsibility: Responsibility for animal management practices