Higher Welfare Award - Sows and pigs: Criteria

To apply for this award, you need to be a well-known or notable food company that can satisfy the welfare criteria below, either as a current policy or on a five-year commitment basis.

Companies can receive the award in one of two categories:

Current Policy: awarded to companies that already meet the award criteria.
In Transition: awarded to companies that have made a public commitment and are working towards meeting the criteria within five years.

There are three types of award available:

Higher Welfare Award - Sows and Pigs for meeting the welfare criteria for both sows and meat pigs
Higher Welfare Award - Sows for meeting the welfare criteria for sows
Higher Welfare Award - Pigs for meeting the welfare criteria for meat pigs

You can apply for this Award in four different food categories:

Fresh pork
Fresh bacon, gammon and sausage
Cured and cooked hams and sliced meats
Further processed or ingredients

Welfare criteria for sows

No confinement (sow stalls/gestation crates) during the dry period (including the observation period*)
No confinement during farrowing and lactation (farrowing crates):
- Short-duration confinement for management purposes limited to two hours at a time
- Minimum farrowing pen size: 6.9m2 with at least 5.9m2 available to the sow and 1m2 for the creep area]
- In case of temporary crates, a monitoring system in place to ensure the crate is operated in open position
- An active monitoring/improvement programme for pre-wean mortality must be in place
Provision of adequate manipulable material and bedding throughout life.

* Observation period: period (typically four weeks) following service and until pregnancy diagnosis

Welfare criteria for meat pigs

No tail docking - you must have an active monitoring programme and contingency plan for the incidence of tail biting.
No teeth clipping/grinding – you must have an active monitoring programme for piglet facial damage and sow udder damage.
No surgical castration; effective pain relief should be provided during any phase-out period
Provision of adequate manipulable material and bedding throughout life.

Statement of Intent: Adoption of Humane Slaughter Systems for Pigs

Every award applicant is required to sign a Statement of Intent to:

Actively press your suppliers, and give further encouragement to government, to find humane alternatives to high concentration CO2 stunning, as a matter of urgency;
Support the call for the use of high concentrations of CO2 for the killing of pigs to be legally prohibited, and new, humane systems to be developed and commercially available to replace the use of high concentrations of CO2;
To be prepared to invest in more humane alternatives when commercially available.

Why apply?

Winning an award enables you to:

Demonstrate leadership on farm animal welfare and responsible sourcing.
Show how your policies and commitments align with your company's values and sustainability goals.
Strengthen supply chain transparency and traceability, helping to manage business and reputational risk.
Build trust and confidence among customers, investors and other stakeholders.
Gain recognition for your achievements from a globally respected farm animal welfare organisation.
Respond to growing consumer demand for food produced to higher welfare standards.

Support on your journey
We can help you identify welfare improvements through our expert technical advice and support, through our case studies which share best practice, and we have a bank of resources to help you make the case for choosing higher welfare systems.

How to apply

Companies can apply via their engagement with the Food Business team and on completion of an application form signed at Director level.

If you are a retailer, we will assume you are entering on the basis of your own-label pig meat in the above food categories, EXCLUDING any branded pig meat lines you sell.

Where an application is made on a commitment basis, companies are required to provide annual progress reports against their commitment. Compassion will maintain regular contact with award winners throughout the commitment period to monitor progress, offer ongoing support, and help ensure commitments are met within the agreed timeframe.

Ready to apply? Contact us today to start the conversation.

Find out more about pig welfare

Click here to view the information sheets that support the Sow and Pig Higher Welfare Award criteria.

Higher Welfare Award - Sows and Pigs: Criteria