Policing the claim culture

ASDA

Asda’s work on improving the environmental impacts of beef production is predominantly focused on improving production efficiencies, which are directly correlated to carbon and other environmental impacts. The work we are doing includes:

• Low-carbon dairy beef, such as Asda 180 Dairy bull scheme
• Encouragement of male sexed semen and improvements in heat detection. We have funded and facilitated the introduction of ‘Heatime’ on our suckler beef demonstration farm to show this technology can improve conception rates and ultimately improve suckler beef production efficiencies.
• We have targeted a specific improvement in Daily Dead Weight Gain (DDWG), which is directly correlated to reducing the carbon footprint of our beef over the next five years.
• Fasttrack genetic scheme: we have introduced a specific ‘proven heifer’ scheme to incentivise our producers to speed up the genetic improvement in their herds and with it improve production efficiencies and related environmental impacts. Suckler-bred heifers up to the age of 36 months that have proven to be unsuitable replacement heifers, due to issues such as poor milk production, will no longer be penalised at slaughter, ie, the farmer will be paid clean cattle price.
• Members of our Asda National Suckler Strategy Group are focusing much of their attention on specific improvements related to pasture management and grassland efficiency. This has demonstrated how improved grassland management can reduce environmental impacts. 
• We are trialling female sexed semen to help utilise superior female genetics and underpin improvements in the suckler herd.
• We have subsidised high EBV beef bull semen to encourage farmers to use the most efficient genetics.

Morrisons

• We are committed to sourcing food in a responsible way, supporting animal welfare, RSPCA Freedom Food policies and standards, free range, Fairtrade and organic products, 100% British fresh meat.
• We focus on being ‘closer to source’, working with our suppliers using principles of responsible and sustainable sourcing to underline our approach. We have a long track record in supporting British farming and have extended our commitment with our Farm Programme and sourcing initiatives.
• We recognise farming is the foundation to the provision of quality fresh food. We believe we are closer to farmers than any other major supermarket and we work hard to nurture these mutually beneficial relationships.
• Farm-led research is at the heart of the programme and Morrisons is currently supporting 10 projects. Areas currently being investigated include the use of renewable energy options such as windmills or photovoltaic panels to cut electricity usage and costs on dairy farms, plus the development of a new, lean beef product for our customers.
• Morrisons has established its own farm at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland. Our aim is to drive best practice in economically and environmentally sustainable farming.
• Morrisons has a policy of ongoing support for British farming and all Morrisons fresh meat is now 100% British sourced. In November 2007, we were the first supermarket chain to commit to selling  100% British fresh pork and lamb all year round. In March 2008, we reinforced our support, committing to selling only British fresh beef (all of our fresh and frozen chicken has been 100% British for many years).
• We process over 90% of our fresh meat-in-house. This involvement in the supply chain gives us close control of quality, provenance and enabled the switch to 100% British fresh meat.

Tesco

• As a global business we have an important role in helping to minimise climate change. To achieve this, in 2009 we committed to: becoming a zero-carbon business by 2050; reducing the emissions of the products we sell by 30% by 2020; and helping our customers to reduce their carbon footprint by 50% by 2020.
• In the UK, we have dedicated local buying, marketing and technical teams in each of our regional buying offices. We stock more than 4,000 local lines and work with over 400 local and national suppliers.
• All farms that supply us have to meet our livestock standards and codes of practice. As of this year, all of the animals that arrive with us for processing have a health check to ensure they have been appropriately raised.
• We are also the only major supermarket to carry out independent audits above the minimum industry standards to ensure these standards are being met. All meat and poultry suppliers to our UK business are inspected at least every 15 months by Integra FoodSecure, an independent, accredited audit company.
• We offer a wide choice to meet the diverse requirements of our customers, from Finest to Organic, standard and Value including a more affordable Freedom Food alternative, Willow Farm. All our products, including the Value ranges, adhere to the Red Tractor standard, which is the one most recognised by customers.
• When we source meat from other countries for sale in the UK, we insist on the same standards we require from UK farmers. For example, we do not allow the use of sow stalls in pig production anywhere. We have improved welfare standards at 14 poultry suppliers in six countries accounting for about 95% of overseas poultry purchases.

Sainsbury’s

• Sainsbury’s has an aspiration to be the UK’s ‘greenest grocer’ by supporting innovation both in its own operations and with suppliers. A key example of this is the investment made with agricultural supply chains. Through our Development Groups, we invest in a number of initiatives to support our farmers; a key part includes reducing the environmental impact of their operations while helping them to become more widely ‘sustainable’.  
• We have developed a carbon foot-printing tool specially designed for our farmers, which has the potential to reduce farmers’ energy costs and their carbon footprint by 10% a year. The tool was developed in partnership with the Carbon Trust and has been recognised as industry leading because the tool involves visiting each and every farm to gather data rather than a desk modelling exercise. The approach we have taken ensures that the data and performance of our farmers is accurate and meaningful and enables them to make the right decisions based on robust information.
• Our environmental scorecard and our Development Groups have been so successful that we are now extending them across all primary agriculture; the carbon footprinting initiative operates across beef, poultry and lamb suppliers in addition to dairy.  
• In the first year, our Beef Development Group has shown a three-fold difference in the lowest and highest average CO2 produced per kg of deadweight. It highlights how much scope there is for sharing best practice and achieving real improvements. Within lamb, there are significant differences within the regions, but for all species the most important things is reducing the number of days to finish.
• In store, all our meat within the use-by date, that isn’t sold or given to FareShare (our food charity partners), is sent to anaerobic digestion.

The Co-op

• The Co-op is committed to improving conditions in its supply chains. We have brought out a revolutionary Ethical Operating Plan ensuring that shoppers operating on a variety of budgets have the opportunity to support higher baseline animal welfare standards.
• Our higher baseline standard, Elmwood, has been developed for livestock reared in intensive farming systems (such as pigs and poultry) and is designed to improve on the British farm assurance standards used by most retailers. It provides animals more opportunity to engage in natural behaviour and seek to improve welfare through more space, natural light and environmental enrichment. 
• All Co-op brand fresh chicken and turkey, barbecue, breaded and ready to eat chicken come from British birds reared to Elmwood standards. 
• From April 2011, all fresh pork and sausages will be from British pigs reared to Elmwood standards.
• The Co-op’s fresh and frozen beef is produced from cattle reared outdoors on livestock farms, compatible with traditional extensive farming systems, where it is possible to produce traditional fodder-based animal feed. 
• For the second year, The Co-op has won a public vote to scoop the RSPCA People’s Choice Supermarket Award for its commitments to animal welfare.
• As one of the UK’s largest farmers, we have always been strong supporters of UK farming and have a policy of promoting meat and poultry sourced from animals reared in the UK. Where possible, the meat will be born, reared, processed and packed in the UK. 
• We will ensure that soya used in animal feed for the production of our own-brand products is moved to a sustainable footing by 2015 in order to minimise its impact on the world’s forests.
• We already re-use/recycle nearly 60% of our waste but by 2013 we will ensure that the vast majority of our operation waste is diverted from landfill. In addition, we will expand our work with Fareshare, a charity that works with the food and drink industry to redistribute surplus food to disadvantaged people.

Waitrose

• Waitrose believes that few things in life are more important than the food we buy for ourselves and our families. Working with the best producers and growers, Waitrose has built a reputation on the freshness, quality, safety and provenance of the food we sell.
• Our shops offer around 18,000 product lines, combining the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop.
• We lead by example and our 4,000-acre Leckford Estate in Hampshire includes a farm, plant nursery and water garden.
• Waitrose has been selling organic products for over 20 years, and its purchase of the Duchy master licence will see more lines added to its already broad range, which commands a 20% of the organic market.
• All fresh beef, lamb, pork, chicken and turkey used in John Lewis restaurants is Red Tractor certified and fresh produce is sourced from UK-based Red Tractor or LEAF-accredited growers wherever possible.
• We take animal welfare throughout our supply chain extremely seriously. Many of our standards exceed legal requirements and have been recognised by the RSPCA (www.rspca.org.uk) and Compassion in World Farming (www.ciwf.org.uk). 
• We only use free-range eggs in own-brand Waitrose products, carefully select our processing partners to minimise ‘time to slaughter’ journeys and use UK livestock with very few exceptions, such as New Zealand lamb in season.
• With Leckford Farm, we actively practise our principles concerning animal welfare and sustainable agriculture. We have adopted best practice methods of an Integrated Farm Management system for efficient and environmentally responsible production, and Leckford has been certified to LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) standards since 2004.
• Along with several other Waitrose suppliers, Leckford is a LEAF Demonstration Farm and supports LEAF Tracks an online system allowing consumers to find out where produce comes from and how it is produced.

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