Sustainable supply chain solutions
AB Sustain supports Humane Slaughter Association centenary
As the Humane Slaughter Association celebrates its centenary year, Johanna Buitelaar Warden, Head of Animal Welfare and Business Development at sustainability experts AB Sustain, explains why the charity’s work is even more relevant 100 years on than when it was first established.
It will come as no surprise to most of you to learn that we are now consuming more meat worldwide than ever before. Emerging economies such as China and India are increasingly adopting western dietary habits, with a greater focus on meat, processed and convenience foods. In the UK, 28 animals per second are slaughtered for human consumption – so protecting the welfare of the animals that enable us to maintain these levels has for some years now been an emotive, headline-grabbing topic, and rightly so.
The Humane Slaughter Association (HSA) is a registered charity that works, in the UK and internationally, towards the highest worldwide standards of welfare for food animals during transport, marketing and slaughter. All food animals are covered by the HSA’s remit, including cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and fish, among others. It works through research, education, training and technical advances to bring real, practical and lasting improvements in food animal welfare.
This year, the charity celebrates its centenary, having hosted a prestigious event in London and a two-day symposium in Portsmouth, bringing together international experts in the field. The HSA’s work in promoting the humane treatment of all animals is as relevant today as it was 100 years ago – if not more so. I believe the issue of animal welfare genuinely matters to the average man on the street. Among UK meat consumers, the welfare of the meat they eat is consistently rated as their number-one concern. And nowhere is the treatment of food animals more under scrutiny than at the point of slaughter.
Making a difference in even a small number of abattoirs has an immeasurable impact on welfare conditions for a large number of animals. With a high percentage of the meat we eat in the UK imported from overseas, the HSA works with a host of partners, including AB Sustain, to provide a valuable service in raising standards thorough worldwide training and knowledge transfer.
The HSA takes an industry-focused, scientific approach to ensure its recommendations are workable in real situations, as well as ensuring optimal welfare based on research studies. As an independent registered charity, it can safely offer an unbiased opinion to all stakeholders along the meat supply chain.
At AB Sustain, we assist companies that want to supply UK retailers by offering joint training with the HSA on animal welfare and humane slaughter methods. The expertise of both our organisations lies in fully understanding UK retailer demands and requirements for animal welfare throughout the lifecycle.
Together with the HSA, we saw a real need to devise a uniquely different, one-day practical animal welfare training course. Our training is designed to be delivered in-house for all red meat, poultry and fish species. Each course is bespoke; tailored to an individual company’s system, requirements and objectives. It translates theory into practice; showing how to make the best of current handling and stunning/slaughter systems. Our objective is to increase welfare outcomes on site, which in many cases also leads to increased product quality. While primarily aimed at key workers who are actually doing the job, I firmly believe the course has benefits for employees and management alike.
At AB Sustain, we provide a full consultancy and training package to enable companies worldwide to achieve high animal welfare standards and thus access new markets. As the HSA celebrates its centenary, I am delighted that we are working with an organisation whose priorities sit so closely alongside our own.