Compassion celebrates 2021 award winners

Best Marketing Award 2021

French higher welfare poultry producers, Les Fermiers de Loué, picked up the 2021 Best Marketing Award for their humorous and eye-catching street poster campaign, tied into the 2020 Municipal Elections in France.

Entitled ‘Elections Municipoules 2020’ the campaign mimicked the familiar posters of political candidates, featuring a chicken with the tagline: ‘Our only label: welfare’ successfully raised awareness of Loué’s A Rating for animal welfare (which includes using free range, slower growing chickens) and the Method of Production labelling it applies to its products, and did a great job at successfully getting animal welfare onto the wider political agenda.

This award recognises our desire to "let people know". For us, communication is above all a collective and personal commitment to promote a good cause: animal welfare.

Yves de La Fouchardière, General Manager of the Coopérative des Fermiers de Loué

Watch the video to find out more about the campaign...

Special Recognition Award in the Innovation category

Hilton Seafood UK received a Special Recognition Award in the Innovation category for being the first to commercially trial and adopt an electric stunner for warm water whiteleg shrimp, or King Prawns, which delivers a more humane method of slaughter.

They worked collaboratively with Tesco and Amanda Seafood, along with their suppliers in Vietnam, to improve the slaughter process of shrimp by adapting the parameters of existing optimar stunning technology currently used in their salmon, seabass, seabream, and pangasius supply chain.

The benefits of the electrical stunning system compared to immersion in ice slurry - which is the current slaughter method of choice - are wide and include: less handling time, reduction in crowding times in ponds, easier access to measure effectiveness of the stun, consistency on stun delivery, and a faster method to render animals’ unconscious and insensible to pain.

The system, which has been approved and rolled out across the Hilton/Tesco supply chain, will benefit more than 100 million animals in its first year.

Hilton Seafoods UK take fish and crustacean welfare extremely seriously and actively seek out improved welfare methods and the latest research on welfare and animal handling. Working with our supplier partners we are very happy with the performance of the shrimp stunner, enabling both improved welfare at harvest and a harvest efficiency benefit for the farmer.

Awareness of crustacean sentience is growing, and the implementation of the farmed shrimp stunner adds to the existing electrical stunning we have in all the wild caught crab and lobster we purchase.

William Davies, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Supply Chain Manager at Hilton Seafood UK

Read the case study to find out more

Special Recognition Award in the Innovation category

Danone received a Special Recognition Award in the Innovation category for its global assessment tool for dairy cow welfare – a digital tool that can be used on any tablet and helps farmers phase out practices such as tail docking and dehorning.

Based on key inputs and welfare outcomes the tool measures issues such as lameness, mastitis, body condition scoring and crucially, early colostrum feeding to calves, and develops individual SMART Action plans tailored to each farm’s specific needs.

By the end of 2020, over 400,000 dairy cows and 350,000 replacement young stock were assessed using the tool allowing farmers to start implementing welfare improvements.

Animal welfare is a key pillar of Danone’s regenerative agricultural model and this tool allows them to roll out a consistent benchmark across their global supply chain which reaches 14 different countries.

It has huge potential to help monitor and improve dairy cow welfare on a global scale thanks to Danone’s willingness to share it with other companies.

Having a global tool that provides clear guidelines and benchmarks motivates both the Danone team as well as the farmers on the most important topic of animal welfare. I hugely appreciate the team’s efforts in the different countries that are doing an amazing job by using this tool to significantly improve dairy cow welfare.

Cees Jan Hollander, Global Farming Expertise Manager at Danone

Read more about how Danone is working to develop and promote regenerative models of agriculture that protect soils, empower farmers and promote animal welfare.

Special Recognition Award in the Planet Friendly Award category

Italian producer Barilla was singled out for a Special Recognition Award under the Planet Friendly Award banner in 2021 for coupling the advancement of animal welfare with a rebalancing of their protein offer to consumers.

Since making a commitment to convert all their eggs and egg product to cage free in 2012, Barilla has successfully implemented cage-free eggs across their entire global business.

They have also reformulated some of their products which has led to a progressive decrease in the use of egg ingredient.

• In 2020, Barilla launched three new biscuits across two of their brands which now contain either no egg or have a lower egg content and a higher percentage of legumes such as chickpeas and lentils.
• In the US, a reformulation of the products containing eggs has also allowed Barilla to launch a whole range of pasta with 100% plant-based protein.

Barilla has also stepped up their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their products, working to reduce water consumption and to cut CO2 emissions. Today, three of Barilla’s brands fully offset their CO2 emissions.

FOR PEOPLE, Barilla helps educate children and young people and provides consumers with the tools to make conscious and responsible food choices, inspiring them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

FOR THE PLANET, an 8% reduction in the use of egg as an ingredient from 2016 – 2020 resulted in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

AND FOR THE ANIMALS – more than two million hens leading cage free lives and approximately 14% or 332,000 hens taken out of their global supply.

We are proud to receive this award, the result of Barilla's constant commitment to animal welfare issues. Thanks to the collaboration with CIWF, we achieved the important goal of globally removing cages from our eggs supply chain; in addition to this, in the last few years we have launched several products with high content of plant-based proteins, reducing the consumption of eggs. And the journey has not finished, we will continue our activities to further improve.

Elena Franchi, Raw Materials Purchasing Manager at Barilla

Small Producer Sustainable Food and Farming Award Winner

The 2021 winner for the Small Producer Sustainable Food and Farming Award was Lynbreck Croft who own a 150-acre registered croft located on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands of Scotland.

In just five years they have built a diverse, multi enterprise food producing business that is firmly rooted in farming with nature and high animal welfare principles.

Their Highland Cattle are 100% grass fed and the hens and rare breed pigs are fed on certified organic feed to supplement their natural foraging.

Recognising that land and animals are our most valuable and essential asset, they use regenerative grazing principles, prioritising soil health and avoiding artificial inputs, all with a goal to increase biodiversity.

In addition to this they have planted 30,000 native trees and choose animals that are suited for our climate and natural forage.

As well as selling directly to the community, Lynbreck also offers tours and courses to encourage and educate others in the benefits of small-scale farming producing high quality food to high animal welfare standards while respecting the natural capacity of the land.

We have always been committed to producing the best food we can where high animal welfare and positive environmental impact sit at the core of what we do. We are so delighted to win this award.

Lynbreck Croft owners, Lynn Cassells and Sandra Baer

Read more about their passion for regenerative farming here.

Special Recognition Award in the Sustainable Food and Farming Award category

A Special Recognition Award in the Sustainable Food and Farming category went to Hollis Mead Organic Dairy, a farm specialising in high quality organic milk and food sold directly to the public whilst enhancing the environment for wildlife.

Based in West Dorset in the south of England, they embrace sustainability throughout. They have a herd of British Friesian crosses which are only milked once a day and are grass fed on organic pasture.

Available through 14 vending machines across Dorset, Somerset and Devon, their organic milk is sold in either glass 1 litre milk bottles or from customers own re-usable containers.

Having planted over 15 miles of hedges over the years, wildlife is flourishing on their farm and soil health has improved dramatically.

They encourage their customers and the public to visit the farm first-hand to see the benefits and help close the gap between what we eat and where it comes from. Watch their video to find out more.

We are thrilled to have received Special Recognition in the Sustainable Food and Farming Award category from Compassion in World Farming. Compassion and passion are central to everything we want to achieve here at Hollis Mead. It fills us with much pride to receive this recognition and it gives us immense wind beneath our wings to carry on. Thank you so much."

Oliver Hemsley, Partner, Hollis Mead Organic Dairy

Read more about Hollis Mead Organic Dairy here.

Sustainable Food and Farming Corporate Award Winner

We were delighted to award McDonald’s UK & Ireland with the 2021 Sustainable Food and Farming Corporate Award for their Regenerative Beef Project.

The aim of their project is to demonstrate the environmental, ethical and economic benefits of an Adaptive Multi-Paddock grazing approach with the ultimate goal of developing a commercial regenerative beef farming system.

Regenerative agriculture is an approach that works with nature, not against it, growing food that actively rebuilds degraded soil, recharges watersheds, and dramatically increases biodiversity.

Their AMP system uses robust, easy calving breeds that are fit for the environment and able to forage outdoors year-round. They are kept in large, stable groups which promotes good social networks and benefit from regular contact with the stockmen, making them much happier, calmer and easier to handle.

Through regular pasture rotation, the cows have an increased diversity of fresh, nutrient-rich plants available to them, allowing for self-selection and increased interest and exploration of their environment, resulting in better health and welfare, both of which are continually monitored throughout the project.

McDonald’s ensure that shelter and shade is available and plan grazing accordingly. This has prompted their partners to invest in planting more trees to increase the flexibility of the farm and ensure maximum available shelter and shade.

We are incredibly proud to be working on this ground-breaking project, alongside our brilliant partners FAI, and the impact it could have on the UK beef industry. The project presents a real opportunity to explore the ways in which we can futureproof the industry and drive more resilient production, to ensure our future beef supply contributes to a sustainable food system where people, local communities, animals and the planet can thrive.

Harriet Wilson, Agriculture and Sustainable Sourcing Manager, McDonald’s UK & Ireland

Find out more about their work with FAI and watch the video here.

Good Egg Award

Chinese producer Happy Eggs received the very first Good Egg Award in China in 2021 for selling only cage-free eggs on the internet.

They lease the higher welfare and environmentally friendly Dutch ‘Rondeel’ barn system – the only one in China - and have built an additional aviary barn system which is set to improve the lives of more than 240,000 hens each year.

In addition, they are keen to educate the public about the benefits of higher welfare for animals and humans alike and are building a small museum and café linking welfare farming to the local tourist industry.

First of all, thanks for Compassion in World Farming’s support and affirmation! Winning the Good Egg Award is not only an honour for us, but also a responsibility. I know that this commitment and persistence will bring many difficulties to the operation of the company, but I think this is something worth striving for.

Farm animal welfare is not only about food safety, but also about the civilization of society. I hope that when I am old, I can proudly say to the children, "In the past, animals were all locked in small cages, living in fear and pain, but we changed it!

Mr. Wang Weisheng from "Happy Eggs" in China

Good Egg Award

Leading Italian producer of healthy bakery treats, Galbusera, completed its transition to cage-free eggs across all its own brands in 2020.

The company received a Good Egg Award in 2021 for extending its cage-free commitment to exclude combination systems within the next five years.

Receiving the Good Egg award from CIWF is definitely a privilege and recognition of the commitment that Galbusera has been dedicating to the world of sustainability in laying hen farming for several years.

Since 2017, we have only been using cage-free eggs from Italian farms, and by 2021, we have agreed with all our suppliers on a commitment to gradually eliminate combination systems as well. The goal is to ensure the complete phase-out of these systems by 2026. This is all with a view to improving animal welfare on farms and fully respecting the expectations of our consumers.

Luciano Triangeli - Quality Manager Galbusera SpA

Read more about the company here.

Good Rabbit Commendation

Nature d’Eleveurs is owned by leading French manufacturer LDC Group. They received a Good Rabbit Commendation for their commitment to roll out higher welfare, cage-free production for fattening rabbits across all farms producing rabbit meat under this brand.

We warmly thank CIWF for recognising and rewarding the work of an entire sector. This Nature d'Eleveurs Rabbit approach, initiated 6 years ago and launched in 2021, works for the well-being of rabbits, the well-being of breeders and the Quality of our products, at the service of consumers. Our shared ambition is to extend Nature Eleveurs to our entire rabbit industry.

Dylan CHEVALIER, CSR Manager of the LDC Group

Special Recognition Award

M&S received Special Recognition this year for the rollout of its new higher welfare Oakham Gold Chicken which meets all the higher welfare criteria of the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC).  

M&S was the first retailer to sign up to the BCC in early 2018 and is the first to begin its transition by successfully securing a commercial deal to scale up the required breeding flocks and pace transition to BCC compliant fresh chicken by November 2022.

The retailer is in the process of converting all its current Oakham chicken to Oakham Gold as the new minimum standard for 100% of its fresh supply, with a further roll out across its processed and ingredient chicken by the BCC 2026 deadline.

"M&S has a long history of leading on animal welfare standards, working with our M&S Select farmers we know and trust. We were the first retailer to sign up to the Better Chicken Commitment, the first major retailer to move to 100% Free Range eggs and all our pork is 100% outdoor bred.

“We already have the biggest range of RSPCA Assured products on the market but we constantly want to raise the bar - that is why we are making this industry-leading commitment. It will lead to a step-change in UK farming standards and show customers that our determination to maintain the highest welfare standards means they will always get exceptional quality and trusted value at M&S.”

Stuart Machin, M&S Food Managing Director

Read more here.