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Why does it only have two stars for animal welfare?
Are the animals kept in feedlots or feedlots?
I feel there’s a lack of clear and straightforward transparency.
Thank you for your clear answer.
Hello Kurt2022, thank you for your question. The M-Check Animal Welfare assessment is based on evaluations in 9 areas. Within each of these 9 areas, 2–7 subcriteria have been defined, and animal welfare is rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). The 9 areas are the same for all animal species, while the individual criteria are tailored to each specific species. The following criteria are assessed for calves, feedlot cattle, and dairy cows: Best regards, your M-Infoline Team
- Inspections and traceability: How are feedlot and dairy operations, transport, and slaughter monitored? How is the traceability of calves, feedlot cattle, and dairy cows ensured?
- Painful Procedures on Animals: Are the animals dehorned or castrated? If so, is this done under pain relief?
- Animal Health and Medications: If the animals become ill, how are they cared for, and how are medications administered and documented? Are the animals given critical performance-enhancing substances?
- Feed and water: Do all calves, beef cattle, and dairy cows have regular and sufficient access to water and feed rich in crude fiber?
- Animal-friendly housing: Do the animals in the barn have access to daylight and enough fresh air? Are they tethered, or can they move about freely? Do they have a soft, malleable lying area? Is there enough space for lying down, walking, and eating?
- Outdoor access and pasture: Can the animals go outside into an outdoor area or onto pasture? How large are the outdoor areas, and do the pastures offer shelter from the weather?
- Breeding and Rearing: Can calves stay with their mothers for as long as possible? Are the animals kept in groups? Are breeds with excessively rapid growth rates prohibited?
- Transport: How long are the animals in transit? Are they loaded into transport vehicles humanely? Do they have enough space inside?
- Slaughter: Can the animals rest comfortably in the holding area? Are they safely stunned and quickly bled out?
For more information on the M-Check animal welfare assessment for cattle, visit: https://www.migros.ch/de/content/m-check-tierwohl-rind
Migros places great importance on transparency and animal welfare. Over 90% of our beef comes from Switzerland. We import only select premium cuts, such as filet or entrecôte, which are not available in sufficient quantities domestically. Migros beef tenderloin from Uruguay does not come from feedlots but from pasture-raised cattle. Animal welfare is a central component of our principles and the requirements we place on our suppliers. That is why we maintain close communication with our partners and are continuously committed to improvements throughout the entire value chain.
Traceability and animal health are particularly highly rated. For cattle, there is a national identification and registration system with an electronic database, which allows the animals to be traced back to the farm where they were born. In addition, the use of medications must be documented; a veterinary inspection upon arrival at the slaughterhouse is mandatory; antibiotics may only be used for therapeutic purposes; and hormonal growth promoters are prohibited.
The lower rating stems from the fact that many areas important to animal welfare are not regulated by law or are regulated only in very general terms. These include, in particular, requirements regarding husbandry, access to outdoor areas, transport, and housing conditions. Although cattle in Uruguay are very often raised on pastures, there are no binding requirements regarding access to pasture, minimum land area, shelter from the elements, transport duration, or stocking densities. Requirements for feed and water are also formulated only in general terms and are significantly less detailed than in higher-rated animal welfare programs.
For these reasons, Uruguayan beef currently receives an overall rating of 2 stars in the M-Check Animal Welfare assessment.
Why? You can only test, rate and make Migros even better if you're logged in.
Why does it only have two stars for animal welfare?
Are the animals kept in feedlots or feedlots?
I feel there’s a lack of clear and straightforward transparency.
Thank you for your clear answer.
Hello Kurt2022, thank you for your question. The M-Check Animal Welfare assessment is based on evaluations in 9 areas. Within each of these 9 areas, 2–7 subcriteria have been defined, and animal welfare is rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (very good). The 9 areas are the same for all animal species, while the individual criteria are tailored to each specific species. The following criteria are assessed for calves, feedlot cattle, and dairy cows: Best regards, your M-Infoline Team
- Inspections and traceability: How are feedlot and dairy operations, transport, and slaughter monitored? How is the traceability of calves, feedlot cattle, and dairy cows ensured?
- Painful Procedures on Animals: Are the animals dehorned or castrated? If so, is this done under pain relief?
- Animal Health and Medications: If the animals become ill, how are they cared for, and how are medications administered and documented? Are the animals given critical performance-enhancing substances?
- Feed and water: Do all calves, beef cattle, and dairy cows have regular and sufficient access to water and feed rich in crude fiber?
- Animal-friendly housing: Do the animals in the barn have access to daylight and enough fresh air? Are they tethered, or can they move about freely? Do they have a soft, malleable lying area? Is there enough space for lying down, walking, and eating?
- Outdoor access and pasture: Can the animals go outside into an outdoor area or onto pasture? How large are the outdoor areas, and do the pastures offer shelter from the weather?
- Breeding and Rearing: Can calves stay with their mothers for as long as possible? Are the animals kept in groups? Are breeds with excessively rapid growth rates prohibited?
- Transport: How long are the animals in transit? Are they loaded into transport vehicles humanely? Do they have enough space inside?
- Slaughter: Can the animals rest comfortably in the holding area? Are they safely stunned and quickly bled out?
For more information on the M-Check animal welfare assessment for cattle, visit: https://www.migros.ch/de/content/m-check-tierwohl-rind
Migros places great importance on transparency and animal welfare. Over 90% of our beef comes from Switzerland. We import only select premium cuts, such as filet or entrecôte, which are not available in sufficient quantities domestically. Migros beef tenderloin from Uruguay does not come from feedlots but from pasture-raised cattle. Animal welfare is a central component of our principles and the requirements we place on our suppliers. That is why we maintain close communication with our partners and are continuously committed to improvements throughout the entire value chain.
Traceability and animal health are particularly highly rated. For cattle, there is a national identification and registration system with an electronic database, which allows the animals to be traced back to the farm where they were born. In addition, the use of medications must be documented; a veterinary inspection upon arrival at the slaughterhouse is mandatory; antibiotics may only be used for therapeutic purposes; and hormonal growth promoters are prohibited.
The lower rating stems from the fact that many areas important to animal welfare are not regulated by law or are regulated only in very general terms. These include, in particular, requirements regarding husbandry, access to outdoor areas, transport, and housing conditions. Although cattle in Uruguay are very often raised on pastures, there are no binding requirements regarding access to pasture, minimum land area, shelter from the elements, transport duration, or stocking densities. Requirements for feed and water are also formulated only in general terms and are significantly less detailed than in higher-rated animal welfare programs.
For these reasons, Uruguayan beef currently receives an overall rating of 2 stars in the M-Check Animal Welfare assessment.
Why? You can only test, rate and make Migros even better if you're logged in.
