Boehringer Ingelheim helps farmers in Argentina achieve animal well-being standards

Today, animal well-being is a goal for cattle farmers around the world. It entails producing abundant, safe, nutritious food in a way that is respectful of animals and the environment. There are many definitions and global standards of animal well-being. Most of the industry speakers, advisors and pharmaceutical companies around the globe are actively talking about it. However, the approach of the Boehringer Ingelheim Argentinian cattle team makes a difference: it allows for continuous improvement of animal well-being conditions in cattle farms as the following example shows.

Our Argentinian technical representatives help farmers adapt and adjust their processes, facilities and animal handling practices to animal well-being standards defined by Boehringer Ingelheim in a protocol. The protocol consists of a 20-point checklist of requirements globally recognized as basic animal well-being standards. It applies to feedlot, dairy farms and calf production.

These technical representatives visit those farms across Argentina that show an interest in getting certified in animal well-being. They assess the farm based on the checklist of standards and afterwards hand out a list of recommendations to improve animal well-being conditions to the farmer.

During a second visit, the Boehringer Ingelheim rep will check if the adjustments to the recommendations have been effectively made or put in place in the farm. If so, the farmer will be ready to receive an inspection by the third party certification company Boehringer Ingelheim works with. In Argentina, this is currently Control Union S.A., an agricultural inspection company with global activities. They eventually assess the farmer’s compliance with the protocol and issue the pertinent Certificate in Animal Well-being. The involvement of this independent certification company adds transparency to the process.

This animal welfare program helps not only reduce invisible losses but also improve the livestock production.

Ignacio Lucero, Ruminants Segment Head Argentina, Animal Well-Being Project Leader explained: “We identified a necessity for our customers to open their business to new markets. Many of our customers have a long-term business perspective that requires adjustment to market trends. Animal well-being is, without question, one of the strongest market trends worldwide. They understand the need to start working on animal well-being on their farms if they want to run a sustainable business.”

As of today, eight farms have been certified in Argentina. Paulo Prado, Cattle Manager of Caldenes, an Argentine meat farm that has applied for the certification, shared: “Nowadays companies require traceability, quality and safety. We believe that a certification supported by Boehringer Ingelheim will certainly help us open the door to new markets.”