What may be among the first of many corporate animal care policies to come, Leprino Foods last month announced its own policy that dairy producers must comply with.
The Leprino policy ” works in combination with existing global dairy industry programs such as the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program in the U.S. and the Red Tractor Program in Europe,” says the Leprino news release.
Among its components:
• A third-party auditing system to verify compliance to Leprino Foods’ global standards at the farm level.
• On-farm evaluations and herd health assessments by independent third parties.
• Annual farm employee education and training programs, including a signed Code of Ethics by each employee upon completion.
• Developing an oversight committee responsible for investigating instances where animal care standards do not meet LQAC Program expectations.
• Creating an independent advisory council to help guide Leprino Foods in policy development and best practice adoption.
