Today (24^th June), we hosted our virtual Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards.

The annual awards were streamlined this year to allow businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to progress towards the delivery of their existing animal welfare commitments. But, despite a difficult 12-months for the industry, we are pleased to recognise 10 leading food businesses for their inspiring and often innovative work in the field of farm animal welfare and sustainable food production.

Clever marketing puts animal welfare on the political agenda

This year’s Best Marketing Award was presented to French, higher welfare poultry producers, Les Fermiers de Loué, whose clever combination of humour and political relevance generated huge public interest with their street marketing campaign promoting their higher welfare credentials.

Innovation in animal welfare

Hilton Seafood UK and Danone both received Special Recognition Awards for their innovative work and their capacity to provide a global baseline for best practice in animal welfare. Danone stood out for its global assessment tool for dairy cow welfare and Hilton Seafood UK’s more humane method of slaughter of King Prawns will benefit more than 100 million animals in its first year, with the potential to benefit billions of animals across the industry!

Championing ‘less and better’

Italian manufacturer Barilla was awarded a Special Recognition Award under the Planet Friendly banner for successfully implementing cage free eggs across its entire operation in over 100 countries, benefitting over 2 million hens each year. In addition, Barilla has significantly reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, by decreasing its use of egg as an ingredient and by the impressive achievement of offsetting three of its brands’ CO2 emissions completely.

Sustainable food and farming accomplishments

Small producers Lynbreck Croft and Hollis Mead Organic Dairy were awarded in the Sustainable Food & Farming category for producing higher welfare meat, dairy and eggs in ways that protect, improve and restores wildlife and the environment.

McDonald’s UK & Ireland was a worthy winner of a Sustainable Food & Farming Corporate Award for their Regenerative Beef Project. Their rotational grazing approach helps to rebuild the soil, recharges watersheds and increases biodiversity. With over 4 million customers every day to McDonald’s in the UK alone, this project demonstrates the game-changing potential for the industry.

Good egg and rabbit achievements

Leading Italian producer, Galbusera, received a Good Egg Award for its commitment to sell only cage-free eggs, and Chinese producer Happy Eggs received the very first Good Egg Award in China. Additionally, Nature d’Eleveurs owned by LDC in France received a Good Rabbit Commendation for committing to higher welfare, cage-free production for fattening rabbits.

Over 2.2 billion animals benefitting

“I’m humbled to share that, since our Food Business programme and awards began in 2007, the total number of animals benefitting is over 2.2 billion,” says our Global CEO, Philip Lymbery. “This is a truly amazing impact, which fills me with great hope for the future, for animal welfare, humankind and our planet. I’d like to congratulate and thank all of this year’s winners for all they are doing to make life better for millions of farmed animals.”

Read more about our Food Business impact.