On July 11 and 12, Perdue brought together animal care experts, representatives of animal welfare advocacy groups, animal care researchers; leading retail and foodservice customers such as Blue Apron and Wegmans; and Perdue farmers at the third Annual Perdue Animal Care Summit.
The company shared advancements in animal care and gain feedback from the groups. The event coincides with the release of the 2018 Perdue Commitments to Animal Care report.
In 2016, Perdue introduced program, “challenging the status quo on how the majority of chickens are raised in the US,” a release stated.
Perdue notes that it is collaborating with animal welfare advocacy groups.
Commitments include
- Adding windows to 100 percent of chicken houses, after Perdue’s research demonstrated that chickens benefit from natural light
- Identifying alternative breeds that meet the demand for customers who want higher welfare chickens
- Recommitting to better relationships with the farmers who raise its chickens; incentives that reward welfare outcomes and not just productivity; and a farmers-only website, including a Farmer Relationship Index score
- Moving to higher-welfare, controlled atmosphere stunning and a first-in-the-US system to reduce stress and improve bird comfort during catching, transport and at the plant.
- Increasing transparency by publishing audit results and reporting on animal care incidents.
“We also promised increased transparency and building trust with stakeholders, which is why we continue to host our Animal Care Summit,” said Chairman Jim Perdue. “The input from these partners at the Summit will help Perdue continue to identify and implement changes that have a quantifiable impact on welfare improvements for its chickens.”
“We are heartened that Perdue keeps making measurable, meaningful progress to improve the lives of chickens,” said Leah Garces, USA Director for Compassion in World Farming. “Perdue keeps rising to the challenge of making better-welfare chicken available to any customer.”
“Perdue is reflecting consumer sentiment that all animals—including farm animals—should be protected from pain by their work to address these issues in a meaningful, transparent and collaborative way,” said Josh Balk, vice president of farm animal protection at the Humane Society of the United States.
Perdue has been moving into organics and niche products, one example being Niman Ranch, a high-end pork, beef and lamb producer with restaurant and food service customers, that demand humane practices.
And as a privately held company, Perdue can move forward on such initiatives without the pressures that come from issuing quarterly earnings reports.
The efforts are not enough for fringe groups that demand all vegetable diets and that animals have names.
Perdue has nearly 3,000 associates in Delaware. The company is based in Salisbury, MD.
