Animal welfare benchmark “here to stay”, says agribusiness guru

Cattle farmers are disappointed Australia’s major retailers have chosen to side with animal welfare organisations intent on halving livestock production.

Australia’s cattle farmers are urging Woolworths to rethink seeking endorsements from an organisation intent on halving livestock production globally by 2040.

The nation’s top red meat lobby Cattle Australia said it was “disappointing” the nation’s major supermarkets were aligning themselves with the Business Benchmark for Farm Animal Welfare, which is led by two UK-based animal activist groups that want to end factory farming.

It comes as agribusiness specialist David Williams warned Australia needed to create its own animal welfare benchmark or national certification system to avoid having to comply with a one-size-fits-all overseas model.

The comments follow revelations that Woolworths was seeking “Tier 1” status under the BBFAW, while Coles is “aspiring to improve” its score. Woolworths, Coles and ALDI are ranked as “Tier 3” operators, based on an analysis of farm animal welfare policies, management systems, reporting and performance.

Cattle Australia called on Woolworths to reconsider aligning itself with the BBFAW, and specifically its involvement with the benchmark’s founding organisation, Compassion in World Farming.

“(It is) disappointing to our industry that Australia’s major retailer boards have chosen to align their animal welfare standards and indicators with a European/UK centric model, which clearly have very different production systems to those of Cattle Australia members,” a CA spokesman said.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said Cattle Australia has not raised any specific issues with the standards we have set for our cattle producers.

“As always, we welcome any opportunity to join industry discussions and work collaboratively on animal welfare. As we’ve said previously, we will be reviewing our use of the Business Benchmark for Farm Animal Welfare to measure our performance against other retailers, following a range of changes to its assessment criteria,” she said.

Mr Williams, who has overseen some of Australia’s biggest agribusiness deals and is considered the go-to on Australian farming in the corporate space, said major fresh food retailers and corporate investors were wanting to run the ruler over animal welfare standards.

David Williams at his "Fairfield" farm just north of Melbourne. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

“I haven’t heard of BBFAW but major retailers in the EU, UK, US and Australia are all considering it (a benchmarking or certification system),” he said.

“It is being driven by concerns about animal welfare from farm management to transport and killing. It all makes sense and like ESG is here to stay.”

Mr Williams stressed the importance of the Australian industry taking the lead on the issue, “otherwise people outside the industry will write the rules and/or foreign rules will be adopted without thought”.

“Each country is in a different place in terms of ethical sourcing and animal welfare and Australia needs its own standards,” Mr Williams said.

Mr Williams said the push for an industry-wide, national benchmark or certification scheme was being driven by the retailers, but conceded they may also be reacting to animal welfare groups.

Federal Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said he was aware of the UK-based benchmark, which had been raised in discussions with industry in Australia, but warned of the risks of Australian producers having to comply with an overseas standard.

“We can’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to animal welfare or sustainability. We have different climates requiring different production methods,” he said.

In its position statement of animal welfare, ALDI has addressed animal welfare certification as a key challenge that needs to be addressed by the industry.

All fresh meat sold at ALDI, all Woolworths processing plants for beef, lamb and pork, and Coles’ partner red meat and pork abattoirs are certified by the Australian Livestock Processing Industry Animal Welfare Certification System – but this only applies to the welfare of livestock from their point of receival at an abattoir.

In the United States, animal welfare certification programs are gaining traction, including Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane and Global Animal Partnership.