The online platform “Porcos em Foco: Monitor of the Brazil Pig Industry”, published on Monday 26th by the international animal welfare NGO Sinergia Animal, assesses company positioning and animal welfare policies in the Brazilian pork industry. To provide consumers with more transparency, the platform presents a rating system in the form of a ranking of the 9 most important companies in the country’s sector.
These are JBS, BRF, Aurora, Pamplona, Frimesa, Pif Paf, Alegra, Alibem and Master Agroindustrial.
“The platform allows consumers to compare reviews from different companies and make more informed decisions about what to consume. This transparency is guaranteed by consumer protection law.
It is not only the right to be According to a survey conducted by World Animal Protection, 82% of Brazilian consumers say they are interested in purchasing certified animal welfare products,” said Taís Toledo, Corporate Engagement Manager at Sinergia Animal.
So far, no company has achieved the maximum number of points in the ranking.
The NGO’s aim is for businesses to have transparent and accountable animal welfare initiatives and to end practices that cause more suffering to animals.
Cage-free trend
Industry practices that Sinergia Animal asks companies to follow for better policies, which are used as standards for Porcos em Foco, include prohibiting the use of cages for pregnant sows, amputation without pain management and the use of antibiotics in healthy animals.
“Pigs are highly intelligent and social animals, and these practices expose them to a lifetime of suffering and pain. For example, in the extreme confinement imposed by the cage system, sows cannot even turn around and suffer many problems. I have seen significant decline in health, including an increased risk of urinary tract infections and weakened bones,” said Toledo.
Due to controversy surrounding this practice, countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Sweden have banned or regulated sow gestation caging in the production chain.
“Last year, the European Union (EU) Commission pledged to approve a ban on industrial breeding of caged animals until 2027. Products exported to the EU will have to comply with new regulations. This measure should also affect production in Brazil because there is a norm,” says Toledo.
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“Another practice we are asking companies to ban is the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics, that is, use on animals that are not sick. This practice contributes to the emergence of super-resistant bacteria that can contaminate soil, rivers, food, and ultimately humans, causing serious public health problems. It causes problems above,” explains Toledo. According to the World Health Organization, super-resistant bacteria currently kill 700,000 people each year, and could kill 10 million people annually by 2050.
Together with China and the United States, Brazil is one of the top three consumers of antibiotics in animal husbandry in the world.
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