Housing and Biosecurity
We are committed to providing the animals under our care with comfortable and safe housing that protects and improves their health and well-being. No matter the animal type or stage of production, our facilities meet or exceed industry guidelines to make sure our animals are comfortable and safeguarded from extreme weather events, predators and vermin.
Our Regional Approaches:
Australia:
Cattle in our JBS Australia feedlots are housed in groups in open-pens and dirt lots. Pen stocking rates meet or exceed industry standards and are based on the animal’s expected final weight...
Australia:
Cattle in our JBS Australia feedlots are housed in groups in open-pens and dirt lots. Pen stocking rates meet or exceed industry standards and are based on the animal’s expected final weight. Cattle have access to an unlimited supply of clean water and are fed twice daily. The pens are sloped for proper drainage during winter months and wet periods to provide cattle a dry place to lie down and reduce mud in the pens.
As JBS Australia operates feedlots across a range of climates that rely on shade to assist heat management during the peak of Australian summer. Shade cloth upgrades have been rolled out to increase shade coverage at all sites by installing new shade at feedlots and upgrading existing shades. These shades act as a shield that reduces heat load on our animals, as well as preventing solar radiation. This creates a cooler and more comfortable environment for our cattle and sheep.
Our Australian hog operations have indoor housing systems with naturally ventilated / tunnel ventilated sheds and Ecoshelters and adhere to Model Code of Practice-Pigs. All sows are provided with nest building material pre-farrowing, and 65% of our growing pigs are raised in deep-litter group housing systems. Rivalea’s gestating sows are group-housed in gestation-stall free systems. In our Huon hatchery systems, fish are housed in specifically designed tank or pond systems that meet RSPCA standards. Water quality parameters are monitored and managed to maintain levels within required ranges and feed systems are designed to optimize distribution of feed to the population. In marine systems, fish are housed in fortress pens with double netting designed to keep predators away from stock. Pen volumes are large to ensure room for schooling behavior.
Huon’s pens have some of the lowest stocking densities in the world. When salmon are relaxed and allowed to behave normally in a clean, healthy environment, they feed better, they grow quicker and when it comes time to harvest our fish, the benefit is seen in the quality of our products. Across all our leases, we aim to keep stocking density well below the density recommended by the RSPCA for compliance with its Approved Salmon Farming Scheme.
Brazil:
In our poultry breeding operations, our average density of 32.16 kg/m² is well below our policy limit of 39 kg/m². Bedding is made of dry, soft material that provides adequate comfort for the animals...
Brazil:
In our poultry breeding operations, our average density of 32.16 kg/m² is well below our policy limit of 39 kg/m². Bedding is made of dry, soft material that provides adequate comfort for the animals, and light exposure is controlled, ensuring dark periods of at least six hours per day. All laying hens, which provide fertile eggs for broiler farms, are bred in cage-free systems.
In pig breeding operations, all pig nurseries are climate-controlled with automatic environmental control systems, ensuring optimal thermal comfort and animal welfare parameters such as air quality and temperature. Actions like the implementation of environmental enrichment "toys" on farms and adherence to appropriate stocking densities are being adopted. These measures can enhance the environment, making it more complex and stimulating the natural behavior of pigs. In 2023, we focused on constructing and/or adapting 249,540 positions for sows in group gestation systems, which represents an approximate 14% increase compared to the previous year. We are also focusing on implementing financial incentives for integrated producers to upgrade production structures to meet best animal welfare practices.
In 2015, Seara committed to transition 100% of its hog production from individual to collective gestation by 2025. In 2023, the company achieved 86.2% of the target.
Europe:
In our Pilgrim’s Europe Chicken business, our family farm partners who raise our breeder hens that produce hatching eggs, use fresh shavings as bedding material in hen houses. These shavings are clean...
Europe:
In our Pilgrim’s Europe Chicken business, our family farm partners who raise our breeder hens that produce hatching eggs, use fresh shavings as bedding material in hen houses. These shavings are clean, absorbent, free of sharp objects and resistant to fungal growth. Our service technicians visit our breeders weekly to monitor chicken health. At our hatcheries, the temperature in the chick-holding room is targeted for chick comfort based on their internal temperature. We monitor and document ambient temperatures on an hourly basis, making any needed changes as soon as possible. We make sure our chicks have enough space to prevent overheating and that they are not placed under direct air flow that could cause them to become chilled. Before placing any chicks at a farmer’s broiler farm, we go through our pre-placement checklist to make sure the farm and houses are neat and orderly, ventilation and temperature are ideal for brooding, ammonia levels are below threshold levels, and lighting and bedding are in line with program requirements.
In addition, we are pioneering industry-leading initiatives to continually improve the housing of poultry by providing environmental enrichment, windows, and provision activities, such as perches and bales.
The Pilgrim’s Europe Pork business has higher welfare supply chain contracts with farmers who raise all sows according to the RSPCA higher welfare outdoor bred standards as a minimum. Sows are free from confinement during gestation and farrowing. Pigs are born outdoors and are provided with shelter, where they remain until they are weaned at approximately 28 days of age. All of our hogs in our higher welfare supply chain have permanent access to environmental enrichment. Pilgrim’s Europe also sources hogs from independent farm partners. Those partners meet, and often exceed, the requirements of the Red Tractor or QMS assurance schemes and must provide hogs with permanent access to environmental enrichment. Pilgrim’s Europe also requires that sows are housed in open pen systems during gestation.
Mexico:
At Pilgrim’s Mexico, our family farm partners who raise our breeder hens, which produce hatching eggs, use fresh shavings as bedding material in hen houses. These shavings are clean, absorbent...
Mexico:
At Pilgrim’s Mexico, our family farm partners who raise our breeder hens, which produce hatching eggs, use fresh shavings as bedding material in hen houses. These shavings are clean, absorbent, free of sharp objects and resistant to fungal growth. Our service technicians visit our breeders weekly to monitor chicken health. At our hatcheries, the temperature in the chick-holding room is targeted for chick comfort based on their internal temperature. We monitor and document ambient temperatures on an hourly basis, making any needed changes as soon as possible. We make sure our chicks have enough space to prevent overheating and that they are not placed under direct air flow that could cause them to become chilled. Before placing any chicks at a farmer’s broiler farm, we go through our pre-placement checklist to make sure the farm and houses are neat and orderly, ventilation and temperature are ideal for brooding, ammonia levels are below threshold levels, and lighting and bedding are in line with program requirements.
United States:
The hogs we raise in the U.S. are housed indoors where health and welfare are prioritized. Our sows are provided with unlimited access to clean water and are fed a nutritionally...
United States:
The hogs we raise in the U.S. are housed indoors where health and welfare are prioritized. Our sows are provided with unlimited access to clean water and are fed a nutritionally balanced diet based on life stage and individual body condition. Weaned and growing hogs in the nursery and finishing stages of production are provided with unlimited access to clean water and feed. Specific standard operating procedures for maintaining animal comfort and housing are further defined in the Live Pork Production Manuals. Climate-controlled ventilation systems are expected to be maintained to promote animal comfort, control humidity, deliver quality air and maintain desirable temperatures according to hog size and life stage.
At Pilgrim’s U.S., our family farm partners who raise our breeder hens, which produce hatching eggs, use fresh shavings as bedding material in hen houses. These shavings are clean, absorbent, free of sharp objects and resistant to fungal growth. Our service technicians visit our breeders weekly to monitor chicken health. At our hatcheries, the temperature in the chick-holding room is targeted for chick comfort based on their internal temperature. We monitor and document ambient temperatures on an hourly basis, making any needed changes as soon as possible. We make sure our chicks have enough space to prevent overheating and that they are not placed under direct air flow that could cause them to become chilled. Before placing any chicks at a farmer’s broiler farm, we go through our pre-placement checklist to make sure the farm and houses are neat and orderly, ventilation and temperature are ideal for brooding, ammonia levels are below threshold levels, and lighting and bedding are in line with program requirements.
Biosecurity
Each of our live animal facilities has a comprehensive biosecurity program that has been designed and implemented to prevent the introduction of infectious diseases to animals through human and animal vectors or contaminated equipment. Our biosecurity protocol addresses every aspect of our facilities: feed mill operations, feed delivery, transportation, vaccination and health management, visitors, and auditors. Items such as protection barriers, bird protection netting, water monitoring and treatment, and compliant waste disposal all contribute to enhance the biosecurity of our livestock, poultry, and aquaculture.
All team members and contract partners are trained according to our biosecurity protocols, and all visitors and vendors must be prescreened and approved before arriving at any of our locations. Sign-in logs are also required and maintained at all locations.
Case Studies:
- Application of vaccines upon outbreak and as a preventive method in all broiler breeder flocks.
- Implementation of a preventive vaccination program in broilers across our three complexes.
Reinforcement of biosecurity measures:
- Restriction personnel, product, and byproduct movement between unaffected and affected complexes and farms.
- Cleaning, disinfection, and sanitary quarantine of affected farms prior to their repopulation.
- Focused construction of breeding farms in areas of the country better protected against these agents.