Published 5/23/2016

EIGHTEEN INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS SIGN GLOBAL INVESTOR STATEMENT ON FARM ANIMAL WELFARE

Eighteen institutional investors, representing £1.5 trillion in assets under management, have become the founding signatories to the first investor statement on farm animal welfare.

The signatories state that they believe that farm animal welfare is potentially material to long-term investment value creation in the food sector. They commit to taking account of farm animal welfare when analyzing food companies and to encouraging high standards across the food industry. They also point to the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare as a framework that can be used by companies and by investors to guide their work on farm animal welfare.

Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare Program Director, Nicky Amos, commented: “This is the first time that institutional investors have supported a formal public statement on farm animal welfare. It is a clear sign that farm animal welfare is transitioning from being seen as a niche ethical issue to one that is recognized as an important source of business risk and of opportunity.”

Dr Rory Sullivan, Expert Advisor to the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare added: “The Business Benchmark has played a catalytic role in changing investors’ views on farm animal welfare. It provides investors with a robust, independent and credible assessment of corporate practice and performance on farm animal welfare, and is presented in a way that enables these to be incorporated into investment models and to underpin engagement programs.”

Rachel Dreskin, Food Business Manager at Compassion in World Farming USA, said: “The growing corporate and investor interest in farm animal welfare will only continue to mount given increasing consumer demand for transparency. A lack of robust reporting presents real risks for a food company, not only with regard to how their customers view their practices, but also can signal to investors that their management structures may be lacking.”

ENDS

Notes:
1. The participating investors are: ACTIAM, ASR Netherlands, Australian Ethical Investment, Aviva Asset Management, BNP Paribas Investment Partners, Central Finance Board of the Methodist Church, Coller Capital, EdenTree Investment Management, Epworth Investment Management, LWCO Trust, NEI Investments, Rathbone Greenbank Investments, Robeco, Schroders, Standard Life, Trillium Asset Management, Triodos Investment Management and Walden Asset Management (Boston Trust).
2. The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) is the first global measure of farm animal welfare management, policy commitment and disclosure in food companies. It is designed for use by investors, companies, NGOs and other stakeholders interested in understanding the relative performance of food companies in this area. More information on the program can be found at www.bbfaw.com.
3. The Benchmark is supported by Compassion in World Farming, World Animal Protection and Coller Capital.

The Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare is designed to help drive higher farm animal welfare standards in the world’s leading food businesses. It is the first global measure of animal welfare standards in food companies and is designed for use by investors, companies, NGOs and other interested stakeholders. For more information, go to www.bbfaw.com or contact the Program Director, Nicky Amos: nicky@nicky-amos.co.uk