Jerónimo Martins Agro-Alimentar is certified in the responsible use of antibiotics in its meat production and dairy farm operations, having obtained an overall score of 100%. This certification guarantees that antibiotics are used for therapeutic purposes only.
These operations are also Animal Welfair™ certified, in accordance with the European Welfare Quality and AWIN® standards, as is sheep production.
More than 90% of the farmers that supply the Terra Alegre dairy factory are Welfair™ certified based on the AWIN® indicators, allowing disclosure on Pingo Doce fresh milk packaging of animal welfare certification, according to the Welfair™ protocol, using the AENOR label. The protocol is built on four basic principles: feed, ambient conditions, health, and proper animal behaviour.
These are some of the measures that allowed us to achieve these results:
ABERDEEN ANGUS BEEF
Cattle are reared in an area of 6.5 m2 or more per animal, with grooved concrete or rubber flooring to prevent the animals from slipping and getting hurt. We also replace straw used for bedding every day to ensure their comfort and well-being.
DAIRY FARM
At least one bed per cow and 0.6 m of feeding space is provided. All animals have access to automatic massage brushes and ambient music is played to reduce stress. Animals have collars to monitor activity that enable early detection of pathologies through behavioural changes, thus contributing towards a reduction in the use of drugs.
We ensure the following in our dairy and Angus beef operations:
• mandatory training in animal welfare for all employees in contact with the animals;
• vaccination and de-worming of all animals;
• no electronic shocks, sticks or any system that may hurt the animals are used when moving or handling them;
• an automatic cooling system with fans;
• no animals are subject to mutilation (e.g. tail docking and dehorning) and they all have freedom of movement.
SHEEP PRODUCTION
We ensure a minimum area of 0.6 m2 per animal (above the good practice recommendation of 0.5 m2), and feed based on forage and concentrate. None of the animals are castrated and they all have freedom of movement.
AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION OF SEA BASS AND SEAM BREAM
We ensure the vaccination of all the fish we raise in the open sea and that they have a density of 15 kg/m3 or less. We also ensure that none of the fish are subject to mutilation practices (e.g. cutting of fins), and we use ice-cold water for rapid cooling of body temperature to desensitize the animals. In 2022, JMA acquired an equity interest in a company that has developed an innovative system for sustainable salmon production in Norway.