Animal Welfare Policy

BACKGROUND

Each year millions of animals are raised for human consumption throughout the world. The welfare of these animals depends on how the rearing, handling, transporting, and processing of the animals is carried out. Orkla Health has a variety of products that include ingredients or components that derive from animals, such as collagen and gelatine (derived from bovine, porcine, avian or fish), royal jelly and honey (produced by bees), whey protein (derived from milk), wool and lanolin (derived from sheep) etc. Due consideration for animal welfare in the production of animals, but also these derivatives or biproducts, are an important part of our responsible sourcing.

ORKLA HEALTH’S COMMITMENT

Orkla Health aims to purchase all animal-derived raw materials and products from trustworthy suppliers with good value-chain traceability down to every sub-supplier. Orkla’s main mechanism to ensure compliance with our standards is Orkla’s Supplier Code of Conduct, in combination with risk-based supplier audits. Animal welfare is an important component of our responsible sourcing strategy, and Orkla Health is committed to improving animal welfare across our global value chains. Orkla Health will not tolerate any cruelty or animal neglect, should any such circumstances be uncovered in our supply chain. We will look for areas where we can influence positive change and engage with our suppliers and other stakeholders to support and promote good animal welfare standards.

PRINCIPLES

Orkla Health’s Animal Welfare Policy covers animal welfare before, during and after the productive life of the animals. Our principles for monitoring and improving animal welfare standards throughout our global value chains are based on the Five Animal Freedoms, aligned with the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) Terrestrial Code:

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst: by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
2. Freedom from discomfort: by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease: by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to express normal behavior: by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of its own kind.
5. Freedom from fear and (chronic) distress: by ensuring conditions and care that avoid mental suffering.

Orkla Health expects our suppliers to work towards transparency and traceability throughout the entire value chain. We also expect suppliers to adhere to applicable animal welfare legislation.

GENERAL SUPPLIER ASSURANCE

1. Origin

The supplier should strive to have documented information about the origin of all products sold to Orkla Health. Origin is defined as the country(ies) where the animal is born, bred and (if applicable) slaughtered and further processed into the animal derivative sourced by Orkla Health.

2. Housing environment

The housing environment used should provide suitable shelter from adverse weather conditions and an environment that provides the conditions and facilities needed for health, comfort and normal behavior including movement, rest, and social behavior. The ambition should be to not keep animals isolated but allow social contact with other animals. Animals should have access to dry, risk-free and comfortable areas. The ambition should be to allow animals access to objects to stimulate natural behavior. This could include roughage, (sawdust) bales, straws, elevated platforms etc. Animals shall be given sufficient feed and water appropriate to their age, weight, physical and behavioral needs. 

3. Responsible use of veterinary medicines

The use of antibiotics should be limited to therapeutic use and not be used for preventive or growth promoting purposes.

4. Husbandry practices

The husbandry practices undertaken should seek to minimize the distress and pain for animals and avoid injury. Painful procedures need to be avoided. Animals should be frequently monitored to detect injuries or disease early on. When required, treatment by a veterinarian is desirable.

5. Transportation

The transportation practices undertaken should have as goal to minimize the distress and pain for animals and avoid injury.

6. Slaughter

Handling and slaughter of animals in the least distressing and most pain-free manner possible must be encouraged, and in accordance with applicable law. The intention is that all animals should be stunned and assured unconscious before slaughter. Any staff undertaking the stunning and slaughter of animals, including casualty animals, should be properly trained and competent. The housing environment used should aim to provide suitable conditions and an environment that provides facilities needed for health and the avoidance of stress.

7. Animal Welfare measures

The supplier is encouraged to have a system that follows health and animal welfare parameters. The system could include mortality at farms level; total numbers of veterinary treatments and procedures; monitoring and maintaining of animal and (if applicable) hooves health, and the use of antibiotics or other medicines.

ORKLA HEALTH’S POSITION ON ANIMAL TESTING

In general, Orkla Health do not accept testing on animals, with the exception for one single product category, i.e. medical devices. Medical devices by law need to be evaluated from a biological safety perspective. When safety cannot be demonstrated by other means, the biological evaluation requires in vivo testing on animals^*. As far as possible, avoidance of in vivo testing is strived for, but when data from chemical characterization and in vitro testing is inconclusive, this must be followed up by in vivo testing. In the rare cases when in vivo testing is required to proof safety for human use, the strict requirements on animal welfare^** must be followed, and the testing performed by well reputed certified laboratories.

* EU ISO 10993-1 Biological evaluation of medical devices Part 1: Evaluation and testing within a risk management process

**EU ISO 10993-2 Biological evaluation of medical devices Part 2: Animal welfare requirements