Waitrose has reaffirmed its commitment to British farming and refused to compromise its animal welfare principles, despite the recent announcement of a trade deal with the US.

Waitrose Net Zero Farm Fund 1

Source: Waitrose

Waitrose continues to champion high levels of animal welfare across its food supply chains

The upmarket grocer’s head of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries Jake Pickering issued a statement today, reassuring customers and suppliers about the retailer’s commitments.

He vowed that Waitrose would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with British farmers and would continue to champion high levels of animal welfare and provenance across its food supply chains.

“We want to reassure Waitrose customers that we will never compromise on our number one animal welfare standards or our long-standing commitment to British farming,” said Pickering.

“All of our own-brand fresh beef, lamb, chicken, pork, eggs and fresh milk are sourced from British farmers to high welfare standards—and we have raised the bar for customers with the Better Chicken Commitment and introduction of our new welfare labelling.”

The retailer’s comments come amidst growing industry concerns that any future trade deals with the US could lead to cheaper imports of lower quality produce and lowered environmental standards.

Waitrose has previously committed to ethical sourcing in grocery and has vowed to exclusively stock 100% British beef and introduce free-range cream across parts of its dairy offer.

In 2019, the retailer signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, becoming the first UK grocer to enhance welfare standards for poultry across its supply chain.

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