Sustainability Report 2009 - The Co-operative

The Co-operative Asset Management overseas
shareholder resolutions
In 2009, TCAM was presented with nine overseas shareholder
resolutions relating to animal welfare, all of which were supported.
Company Resolution Vote
registered
Abbot Laboratories,
Alergan Inc, Baxter
International Inc
Kroger Co,
McDonald’s Corp
Coach Inc
DeVry Inc
Smithfield Foods Inc
Yum! Brands Inc
Read more in this Report
• Local sourcing of protein and dairy products (page 96).
• Marine stewardship and sustainable sourcing of fish
(pages 75–76).
• Own-brand product sales and ranges (page 36).
• Plan Bee: campaign to highlight decline of the honeybee
(page 80).
Accompanying notes
1 www.ciwf.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_
docs/2010/f/factsheet_meat_chickens.pdf
(CIWF factsheet Meat Chickens revised
March 2010.
2 Defra (2009) Pig Statistics. www.defra.
gov.uk/evidence/statistics/foodfarm/food/
slaughter/index.htm
3 www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/
farm/poultry/layinghens According to
the RSPCA, 58% of egg-laying hens are
reared in caged systems. The proportion
of hens reared in these systems has been
decreasing over the last 10 years.
4 www.ciwf.org.uk
5 www.rspcagoodbusinessawards.com
6 Fresh and frozen meat and poultry is
defined as meat and poultry that has been
maintained in a chilled environment in its
raw condition and which will require full
cooking. Products classified as fresh and
frozen meat and poultry include beef, lamb
and pork joints, steaks, chops, mince,
burgers, sausages, bacon and gammon,
whole chickens, turkeys and ducks, and
chicken, turkey and duck steaks, fillets
and portions.
7 Compliance with UK farm assurance
standards, or national equivalents, is
assured for all own-brand fresh and frozen
meat and poultry products. Outside the UK,
suppliers are required to ensure, through
independent third-party audits, that non-UK
producers apply equivalent standards.
To report on animal-testing
policies or practice.
To increase the proportion of
cage-free eggs used or sold.
To report on the feasibility of
ending use of animal fur.
To enact a policy to prohibit
all medically unnecessary
surgeries at company’s
medical school.
To phase out use of
gestation crates in pig
farming 46 .
To implement previous
recommendations relating to
poultry welfare.
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
Supported
8 Meat and dairy assurance schemes
covered by the Red Tractor Mark include:
Assured British Meat, Assured Chicken
Production, Farm Assured Welsh Livestock,
Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance
Scheme, Quality Meat Scotland, Genesis
Quality Assurance, Joint Pig Assurance
Scheme, Soil Association Farm Assured,
Quality British Turkey and National Dairy
Farm Assured Scheme. Not all assured
produce bears a logo, and two further
standards cover cereals, and fruit
and vegetables.
9 Quality Standard Marks are specifically
applied to beef, lamb and pork products.
10 Egg sales accounted for 63% of all
Freedom Food sales in 2006.
11 Egg sales accounted for 51% of all
Freedom Food sales in 2007.
12 Egg sales accounted for 55% of all
Freedom Food sales in 2008.
13 Egg sales accounted for 53% of all
Freedom Food sales in 2009.
14 www.hsa.org.uk
15 Compliance with UK farm assurance
standards or national equivalents was
assured for all own-brand, UK-sourced
fresh shell eggs, milk, turkey, duck,
beef, lamb, chicken, pork, pig meat for
sausages and, from February 2009, bacon
and farmed salmon and trout. Whilst
compliance with farm assurance standards
is similarly stipulated for other meat and
poultry products (eg, cooked meats), and
products that contain meat or poultry
ingredients (eg, ready meals), evidence
of application is much more difficult
to secure.
16 Data from The Co-operative Food sales
team between January 2009 and
December 2009 inclusive, including former
Lothian Borders & Angus Co-operative
Society sales and excluding Somerfield
and Plymouth & South West Co-operative
Society sales. Chart does not include duck
sales, which accounted for less than 1% of
total own-brand sales.
17 Excludes further prepared products (eg,
breaded chicken products).
18 Includes wild caught fish, crustaceans
(eg, prawns) and further prepared products
(eg, fishcakes).
19 Co-operative own-brand egg production
was transferred to free-range in
October 2006.
20 EU egg and poultry meat marketing
standards stipulate minimum requirements
for products to be labelled as free-range.
These contain animal-welfare provisions,
which include: birds’ daytime access
to open-air runs; fixed indoor stocking
densities; and, for birds produced for
meat, minimum slaughter ages.
21 Sales data from The Co-operative Food
Finance, Buying and Marketing Analysis
team, January 2010. Welfare data from
The Co-operative Food Technical team
December 2009 – January 2010. Origin
data from The Co-operative Dairy Category
team January 2010.
22 Both Elmwood standards and Freedom
Food standards stipulate a maximum
stocking density of 30kg/m 2 and access
to bales, perches and pecking objects.
Conventional systems permit a maximum
stocking density of 38kg/m 2 and are not
required to provide any environmental
enrichment. Elmwood standards stipulate
a minimum average slaughter age of 42
days. This exceeds conventional standards
(average 38 days) but is lower than
Freedom Food standards.
23 The use of artificial light is permitted by
Freedom Food standards until 2010.
24 Freedom Food standards stipulate a
minimum slaughter age of 56 days.
25 The use of artificial light is permitted by
Freedom Food standards until 2012.
26 Free-range standards stipulate a maximum
stocking density of 25kg/m 2 . Conventional
systems permit a maximum stocking
density of 59kg/m 2 . Free-range standards
stipulate a minimum slaughter age of
56 days.
27 Sales and welfare data: see footnote 21;
origin data from The Co-operative Protein
Category team, January 2010.
28 Excludes further prepared products
(eg, breaded chicken products).
29 Sales and welfare data: see footnote 21;
origin data from The Co-operative Frozen
Category team January 2010.
30 Excludes further prepared products
(eg, breaded chicken products).
31 UK-only sourcing has been in effect for
fresh pork and premium products since
2006, sausages since October 2007 and
bacon since February 2009. UK legislation
and UK farm assurance standards currently
exceed EU legislation; for example, sow
stalls and tethers have been illegal in the
UK since 1999.
32 Piglets are born and reared outdoors until
around 40kg (approx. 3 months of age),
without the use of farrowing crates.
33 Freedom Food standards stipulate that
pigs are housed on solid floors with straw
litter and materials that encourage natural
behaviours, such as rooting, pawing,
mouthing and chewing. Conventional
standards permit pigs to be housed on
barren, slatted floors with only basic
environmental enrichment. Freedom Food
standards stipulate pigs are weaned at
a minimum of 28 days; conventional UK
standards permit weaning at 21 days.
34 Sheep are born and reared on open
hills throughout the year. There are no
boundaries or fences to keep different
farm flocks apart.
35 See footnote 27.
36 See footnote 29.
37 Sales and welfare data: see footnote 27.
38 Soil Association standards stipulate
stocking densities approximately half of
those for conventional fish farms.
39 Sales and welfare data: see footnote 29.
40 Toiletries are classified as cosmetics
under the EU Cosmetic Directive 76/768.
This defines a cosmetic product as any
substance or preparation intended for
placing in contact with the various external
parts of the human body with a view
exclusively or principally to cleaning them,
perfuming them or protecting them in order
to keep them in good condition, change
their appearance or correct body odours.
41 Sales data from The Co-operative Food
Finance, Buying and Marketing Analysis
team, January 2010.
42 Humane Household Product Standards
define household products as: disinfectant,
bleach, dishwasher products, floor and
furniture polish, cleanser and cleaner, toilet
products, washing-up liquid, air freshener,
washing powder, laundry tablets, liquid
detergent and fabric conditioner.
43 Sales data from The Co-operative Food
Finance, Buying and Marketing Analysis
team, January 2010.
44 GlaxoSmithKline, Home Retail Group, J
Sainsbury, Johnson Matthey, Next, PZ
Cussons, Reckitt Benckiser, Rentorol,
SSL International, Tesco, Unilever, Wm
Morrison.
45 No responses were received from
PZ Cussons, Reckitt Benckiser and
SSL International.
46 The proponent states that gestation crates
are used to confine pregnant sows and are
generally too small for sows to turn around
or lie down.
Social responsibility Community investment International development and human rights Animal welfare Diet and health Ethical finance Social inclusion Diversity
The Co-operative Group Sustainability Report 2009 35