Chicken
At Scandi Standard we are passionate about chicken. Together with carefully selected contract farmers, we are committed to keeping every chicken healthy and comfortable, across the entire value chain. We focus on animal welfare for ethical reasons, but also because it is directly linked to quality, resource efficiency and profitability. We know that only healthy chickens can grow in a healthy way.
Eight focus areas
We work together with skilled growers and suppliers to make continuous improvements at every phase, from parent bird breeding to slaughter. Our overall goal is for all chickens to be well cared for and thrive.
To ensure chicken health and wellbeing, we work proactively with nutrition, housing, the prevention of injury and disease, and practise ethical and responsible animal handling, from rearing to slaughter. Scandi Standard proceeds from eight defined focus areas in order to ensure good animal husbandry.
Animal welfare & antibiotics
We are committed to keeping our promise on good animal welfare, to the chickens and to all our stakeholders. The ambition is to position Scandi Standard as an industry leader, contributing to better animal welfare for the whole sector. Our approach to animal welfare is based on the Nordic heritage of animal husbandry, and animal protection legislation, which are among the strictest in the world. We have a set groupwide policy for animal welfare, that clearly defines the standards and requirements for all areas of our organization and all our suppliers. A Holistic View On Animal Welfare describes the many aspects of animal welfare and how we at Scandi Standard define and work with it.
The same standards apply to all contract farmers, irrespective of country. As our business continues to grow outside the Nordics, it has become even more important for us to clarify and proactively communicate Scandi Standard’s quality requirements for animal husbandry.
In addition, there are also national sector and/or company-specific requirements in our different countries.
Our position on animal welfare aspects includes:
- No genetic engineering
- Defined stocking density
- No antibiotics
- No growth hormones
- No routine mutilation/no beak trimming
- Responsible transport manner and time/distances
- Pre-slaughter stunning
Comparison of broiler breed characteristics used at Scandi Standard
Long-term grower relationships
We have long-term collaborations with selected growers in each country. The growers’ knowledge and understanding of and respect for the chickens is crucial for good animal welfare. Regardless of modern technology and well-developed processes, their day-to-day handling and know-how is by far the most important factor in allowing their chickens to thrive and grow. Our growers are well aware that healthy chickens make the best economic
sense. The same requirements apply to all growers, irrespective of their country. The contracted growers, about 350 in total, receive support, training and regular follow-up visits from Scandi Standard’s local advisers.
Read moreFeed quality and efficiency
The composition of feed is an important part of the cooperation with the growers. Nutrient content and quality have a major impact on both the health of chickens and the efficiency of feed use. All feed is made from vegetables using carefully selected ingredients, with wheat and soy being major components. The Irish operation has its own feed experts and local feed mill, while in other countries we work with external feed suppliers. The use of GMO (genetically modified organisms, in this case soy and corn) in feed is widely discussed. Scandi Standard has chosen to adhere to local conditions and customer requirements and currently requires GMO-free feed in Sweden and Norway.
Rearing chickens is resource-efficient compared with other kinds of animals. The amount of feed and climate impact per kilogram of meat is lower than for pork and beef, for example. Feed efficiency is one of the most important indicators in order to optimize the rearing process. Chickens are very good at converting feed into meat, the feed efficiency is a direct indicator of the quality of the feed, and how well the chickens are being taken care of.