Animal Welfare was adopted and created based on European requirements, the Scandinavian countries followed by France, having been the first to adopt stricter rules and consequently to outline standards for raising animals within a humane system. Seara Alimentos is a pioneer in adopting the practices of Animal Welfare, and was the first Brazilian Company to train its poultry and swine technicians in the science of Animal Welfare at the University of Bristol. The essence is that farm animals such as poultry and swine must have the respect of producers, transporters and operators during breeding, handling and slaughter, providing an appropriate environment and applying humanitarian procedures towards animal welfare, freeing them from fear, distress, illness, stress, hunger, thirst, cold, heat, injuries, among others.
This moral and ethical conduct is also a legal requirement, a company’s quality policy, to meet the expectations of our customers and consumers. We have adopted, in order to guide the conduct of professionals and partners of Seara, the principle of the “Five Freedoms” of Animal Welfare, whose policy was planned by the Company, trained, enforced in different breeding processes, and controlled by producers, technicians, veterinarians and quality assurance. Participating actively in this control is the government through the Animal Defense and the Federal Inspection Services present in 100% of the plants of Seara Alimentos.
We have the duty of providing poultry and swine with “The Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare”:
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst, which is done by free access to water and a nutritionally and functionally balanced diet to maintain health and vigor at every stage of the animal’s life;
2. Freedom from discomfort, which is achieved by the appropriate environment which includes shelter, ventilation control, temperature and lighting programs, facilities and handling systems that provide comfort to the animals;
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease, through prevention of disease, injury and stress prevention with diagnosis and clinical management and fast and effective therapeutic;
4. Freedom to express free animal behavior, by providing enough space, facilities, toys, bed that encourages dust bath and the company of animals of their own species;
5. Freedom from fear and anxiety, ensured by humanitarian conduct in breeding, harvesting, transport and slaughter that minimize and prevent animal anguish and suffering.
Scientific learning of Animal Welfare and its improvement are continuous processes, which yield for the Company the pride of being co-participant in the pioneering project of the Government and World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in the preparation of training materials, the basis for ongoing training in 2010 and 2011 in Brazil.
The responsibility for animal life quality is shown every day, that all efforts in enforcing the science of Welfare and its continuous improvement, yield healthier animals with reduced therapeutic interventions, better weight gain, best livestock performance and the best quality meat.
It is our duty to continue making the difference towards well bred animals.
