JBS has done significant work that focuses on food safety and adopted social and environmental criteria as part of its raw material procurement process to ensure it offers both customers and consumers high quality and reliable products.  

Responsible raw material procurement

All beef products purchased by JBS come from farms that:

• Are not located in deforestation areas, on indigenous lands or in environmental protection areas;
• Do not use slave-analogous labor;
• Are not subject to environmental embargoes.

These criteria comply with the Public Livestock Commitment, an agreement led by Greenpeace.  JBS’s operations undergo independent annual audits to verify compliance with these criteria.   In partnership with Greenpeace, the company also develops annual work plans to improve its social and environmental processes.

• Cattle Supplier Social and Environmental Monitoring System

  This is one of the tools JBS uses to meet its Public Livestock Commitment.  The company uses the system to check conditions at each supplier, allowing it to identify and block farms that do not comply with the company’s social and environmental criteria.  JBS uses satellite images, georeferenced maps of the farms and monitors official data from government agencies to carry out a daily analysis of around 40 thousand cattle suppliers based in the Legal Amazon region.

Supplier Relationships

At JBS, our dedication to quality means all our raw material supplies are considered our partners. JBS is aware of the role it plays in the industry, given the capillarity of its operations, and takes various steps to help transform the production chains it is linked to.  As such, the company provides its suppliers with support and guidance on how to improve their practices and processes and help them operate on a sustainable basis. 

• New Field Program
  

JBS is a partner in this initiative, which aims to increase adoption of best livestock production practices on farms located in the Legal Amazon.  This New Field program is coordinated by the Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV) and provides livestock breeders with guidance on social, environmental and production issues, such as soil and water conservation, compliance with Brazilian employment and environmental legislation, best animal welfare and handling practices, techniques to boost productivity and carcass quality, etc.

• Legal Supplier Program
  

JBS created this program to help beef suppliers adapt to Brazil’s environmental legislation.  The Program started in 2013 to help suppliers map their farms, subsequently developing into a network of consultants that specialize in adapting farms to the New Forestry Code.

• Green Light Pact
  

This program focuses on farmers in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, one of Brazil’s main cattle breeding centers. This initiative highlights the importance of improving production practices so that farmers can supply better quality products. 

In addition to JBS, this initiative is also supported by the state government in Mato Grosso do Sul, the Brazilian Meat Exporting Industry Association (Abiec), the Mato Grosso Do Sul Livestock Breeders Association (Acrissul), the Mato Grosso Do Sul Livestock and Agriculture Federation (Famasul) the Association of Young Steer Producers from Mato Grosso Do Sul and Empraba Beef Cattle.

• JBS Connection Program

This is a platform offering direct communications between JBS and its cattle suppliers that was created to create closer ties between producers and others participants in the value chain.  The program offers farmers information on meat processing and product marketing. 

• Integrated poultry and pork producers

As part of its partnership with integrated farmers, JBS offers all the consumables producers need for safe and healthy poultry and pig rearing, as well as guidance on production processes and environmental practices.

ANIMAL WELFARE

JBS is constantly working to ensure the well-being of its animals on a day-to-day basis.  The goal in this case is to ensure that the fundamental freedoms of all animals – cattle, poultry or pigs – are respected. These freedoms include no hunger or thirst; no discomfort; no pain, injuries or diseases; no fear or stress and the freedom to express their natural behavior. 

Work processes at our own units and those of our suppliers are constantly being improved.   Strict transport and handling criteria are in place, including:

• an appropriate fleet of vehicles for cattle transportation;
• cameras to verify and assess Animal Welfare indicators at all cattle units, allowing specialists to monitor on-site processes from animal disembarkation through to slaughter; 
• a team of our own and third-party drivers with specific animal welfare training;  
• employee training on best handling practices during transportation and at processing plant corrals;
• technical support to build and improve poultry and pig facilities, safety, nutrition and animal health practices, as well as constant visits from company specialists who apply a period check list, which is also used to monitor vaccine applications, animal weight, mortality rates, environmental temperature variations, the level of animal comfort and other criteria.

JBS invests in ongoing employee training on best handling practices during transportation and at processing plant corrals. It also has a technical partnership with some of the world’s foremost experts in this area, including Dr. Temple Grandin and Prof. Dr. Mateus Paranhos, from the Paulista State University (UNESP).

In 2016 and 2017, the company was ranked one of the best in the world for its animal welfare practices, according to the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW), a global, annual report produced by two international NGOs: World Animal Protection (WAP) and Compassion in World Farming (CIWF). 

The full report, in English, can be accessed here.