Approach

We are committed to fostering a culture that supports animal welfare. This commitment permeates the entire Tyson Foods enterprise, from corporate leadership to team members on the ground who interact directly with animals on a daily basis.

We maintain an Animal Welfare Advisory Panel that provides guidance on current animal welfare topics, research priorities and projects, and emerging issues or technologies that may affect our industry and business.

Caring about animals is inherent to who we are as a company. Our approach is grounded in sound science and the latest animal welfare research.

Animal Welfare in the Value Chain

Throughout our value chain, we keep animal welfare top of mind. We are committed to continuously improving animal welfare standards and expect the same from our suppliers at every step in the animal life cycle, from breeding through harvest.

We source raw material and finished products from third-party suppliers with whom we have longstanding relationships and who are expected to maintain the same high level of animal well-being standards that we observe within our own operations:

•  On the farms: animal welfare specialists work closely with farmers to ensure optimal animal husbandry, nutrition, sanitation and housing practices that support animal health and well-being.
•  In processing operations: resources are allocated to train employees on responsible handling and transport practices such as low stress handling techniques to facilitate calm, efficient animal-paced movement, thus decreasing stress and
avoiding injuries.

Antibiotics in the Supply Chain

Tyson Foods is dedicated to preserving the health and welfare of the animals within our supply chain while protecting public health. To reduce the potential of the development of antibiotic resistance, we are promoting the judicious antibiotic use principles outlined by the World Health Organization (WHO), World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

Responsible use practices rely on preventive strategies such as biosecurity, animal welfare programs, proven management practices, vaccination programs, sanitation programs, routine health monitoring programs and veterinary oversight to minimize the potential need for antibiotic therapy. We work closely with our suppliers to promote these practices.

When possible, we use antibiotic alternatives that may include probiotics, essential oils and certain mineral salts. If these treatments don’t work, a veterinarian will provide a prescription for the appropriate antibiotic.

We are a founding member of the International Consortium for Antimicrobial Stewardship in Agriculture (ICASA), a public-private collaboration led by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. This group of global stakeholders will collaborate and support critical research to produce practical applications that address antimicrobial resistance. Collectively, members of the consortium have already committed $15 million to support innovative research on antimicrobial stewardship and animal health. In addition to serving on ICASA’s Executive Steering Committee, Tyson Foods is represented on four of the organization’s five working groups.

Innovations

We partner with a variety of professionals, academic institutions and industry groups to advance animal agricultural research and best practices for animal welfare throughout the industry. In addition to the external research that we support, we constantly seek out and pilot the latest innovations in animal welfare best practices within our own operations.

Our Welfare Research Farm is a testing ground for research on key aspects of broiler chicken welfare, such as lighting, enrichments and stocking density. This research is based on an approach that allows animal choice to guide our actions. Because chickens can’t tell us what types of housing they prefer, we create a variety of options within one environment and then observe animals’ behavior. We use a science-based approach to evaluate the impact of the different choices on measurable outcomes of animal welfare and health.