Post by account_disabled on Mar 4, 2024 1:35:11 GMT -5
Human beings share the planet with different species, both animals and plants, however, on many occasions day-to-day situations seem to be so pressing that they prevent us from turning our gaze towards other problems that may seem distant, but that are essential to the planet.
This happens with animal cruelty and abuse, a situation in which all sectors are called to pay attention, listen and act. One way to do this is by ensuring animal welfare.
According to the World Organization for Animal Chile Mobile Number List Health, animal welfare is understood as the “physical and mental state of an animal in relation to the conditions in which it lives and dies.” And to protect it, the Five Freedoms must be taken into account for the well-being of terrestrial animals, these are allowing animals to live:
Free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition.
Free from fear and anguish.
Free of physical and thermal discomfort.
Free from pain, injury and illness.
Free to manifest natural behavior.
hen companies for animal welfare
Under this understanding, below we highlight the actions that companies can carry out for animal welfare thanks to the Monitor of Corporate Initiatives for Animals in Latin America ( MICA ).
Monitor of Corporate Initiatives for Animals in Latin America
The health crisis derived from COVID-19 has made visible the need to rethink different aspects of life, including:
The role of companies in the food system.
The treatment of the animals used in it and its relationship with diseases.
Climate change.
Ethical problems.
Therefore, the role of companies in animal welfare is more relevant today than ever.
Mercy For Animals —an international nonprofit animal protection organization—aims to build a compassionate food system, not only kind to animals but also central to the planetary future.
One of its strategies lies in evaluating the commitment of companies to animal welfare, and its tool to do so is the Monitor of Corporate Initiatives for Animals in Latin America (MICA).
MICA analyzes the performance of the most influential food and hospitality companies in Latin America in reference to their commitments and progress in the transition to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs , and moving away from the hen confinement system.
This Monitor is relevant, since in Mexico alone the poultry industry estimates that in 2022 more than 25 kg of eggs per person will be consumed, which will probably have their origin in the terrible conditions experienced by millions of hens exploited for their eggs.
In common egg production systems, birds are crowded in small cages that prevent them from demonstrating natural behaviors and that can cause various illnesses due to lack of hygiene and space. In each wire cage, between 5 and 10 hens spend their lives, which represents an available space equivalent to that of a sheet of paper for each of them.
Such a situation not only calls for the poultry industry, but also for all companies related to the food sector to take action. In fact, thousands of companies are committed to eliminating the cage system from their supply chain. Therefore, MICA classifies the commitments and progress of companies into seven levels:
Mercy For Animals helps companies meet their commitments to animal welfare. Below we present some progress that has made it possible for these to be reclassified for their socially responsible commitment in the new edition of the MICA, and thus, advance in some positions in the ranking .
companies for animal welfare
Examples of companies for animal welfare
This Monitor positions companies according to the aforementioned levels, however, the positions are not static, they change over time. In fact, MICA's mission is for all companies to level up. And this is what happened after a year of work.
Below we present two examples of companies that showed progress in this period in favor of animal welfare.
Barcelo Hotel Group
In 2021, the hotel giant was classified in the MICA Red Level, which covers companies that do not have commitments to animal welfare or transparency, an unfavorable place, however, Barceló Hotel Group contacted Mercy For Animals to find out how they could move forward. to improve animal welfare issues, specifically with caged hens in the egg industry.
After much joint work, in October 2021, Barceló Hotel Group communicated its commitment to eliminate the use of cages in its egg supply chain worldwide, in addition to publishing annually the progress of this transition to be completed by 2025.
companies for animal welfare Barcelo
Barceló did it!, and it is expected to advance at least two positions in the new edition of MICA, which will be published in April 2022. This is positioned as an example of companies that join efforts for animal welfare, by showing their commitment and interest in providing better standards within their egg supply chain.
Bimbo group
Another of the companies analyzed in last year's MICA edition was Grupo Bimbo, a company that obtained the Orange Level. This is because although the company has committed since 2015 to being 100% cage-free by 2025, no progress on the issue has been publicly shown.
