At Tyson Foods, our animal welfare mission is simple: to continuously improve the welfare of the animals entrusted to our care and raise the world’s expectations for how much good food can do. Fulfilling our mission requires collaboration with external subject matter experts to provide guidance and counsel on current and emerging animal welfare topics within the industry.

Tyson’s Animal Welfare Advisory Panel is made up of 13 animal welfare expert who specialize in various fields like academia, regulatory policy, production agriculture and welfare science and social issues. This diverse group of experts ensures Tyson is positioned as a global leader in animal welfare and helps identify opportunities for enhancement.

We recently hosted our ninth annual animal welfare advisory panel meeting where we brought the panelists together, in-person and virtually, for in-depth discussions focused on Tyson’s approach to animal welfare in each supply chain – beef, pork, turkey, and chicken.

This year’s meeting was focused on integrating the Five Domains animal welfare framework across our global operations. The group also discussed various ways of using research and innovation to drive continuous improvement in welfare outcomes.

“Tyson approaches animal welfare in a very practical but very meaningful way,” said Bill Tom, Member of Tyson’s Advisory Panel and Executive Vice President of United Producer’s Livestock Marketing – one of the largest livestock marketing cooperatives in the United States. “Their approach allows the supply chain to clearly understand the expectations and equally execute against them.”

Tyson’s advisory panel was formed in 2012 and has evolved over the years. Currently, the panel’s objectives include:

• determine ways to improve Tyson’s FarmCheck® program;
• advise on research priorities and projects;
• provide information on emerging issues or technologies that may affect the industry and business; and
• help understand proactive approaches Tyson can take to address areas such as ethical issues, consumer interests, and new research and technologies.

“I appreciate the opportunity to work with Tyson Foods as an animal welfare advisory panel member,” said, Tom Parsons, Veterinary Medicine Associate Professor and Director of the Swine Teaching and Research Center at the university of Pennsylvania. “The commitment to improving animal welfare is exemplary as they value the important impact they can have across their supply chain and beyond.”

You can learn more about the members of the Panel here. For more information on Tyson’s approach to animal welfare and sustainability, please visit here.