February 13, 2014

Tyson vice president for animal well-being Dean Danilson, PhD announced that Tyson its FarmCheck programme, launched in response to retailers and customers' concerns over animal welfare, is well underway. 

Retailers and their customers, Danilson says, express concerns that initiatives such as the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) and Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) programs are voluntary and do not require third-party audits. In 2012, Tyson Foods announced plans for their FarmCheck on-farm audit programme for their livestock suppliers.

Tyson developed its pork audits in 2012 and began implementing them during 2013. At the same time, they began developing the poultry and beef audits. Poultry audits will begin this month, while the beef audit system remains in development with plans for implementation in mid to late 2014. Standard elements in the programs include animal welfare training, self-checks and "site checks" from a third-party auditor.

Danilson says the vertically-integrated structure of Tyson's pork and poultry suppliers allowed easier implementation compared with beef, which will involve auditing independent ranches and feedyards that produce cattle for the company's supply chain.