Animal Welfare

Our Commitment

At Lidl GB, we are committed to protecting animal welfare, so we work hard to ensure that all animals in our supply chain live a good life.

Through our partners such as The Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured alongside animal welfare focussed NGO's, we have specialised contacts placed throughout the industry that can help advise and help action continuous improvement.

We have also created strong supplier relationships through our lean buying practices and by championing British farming, we are able to provide product with leading-welfare standards, at an affordable price.

To learn more about our dairy supply chain, and how we manage animal welfare alongside our supplying farmers, please click here.

The Five Freedoms

Download our Animal Health and Welfare Policy

Emma Baxter, Senior Researcher from Scotland’s Rural College, explores each of ‘The Five Freedoms’ and what they mean to the animals within our supply chain:

Our approach

Welfare Windows

We were the first UK retailer to introduce a ‘method of production’ label on our fresh poultry, pork and egg product lines. Our Welfare Label, which is located on the front of pack and gives our customers detailed descriptions of how the animals that we sell have been reared, helping our customers to make more informed decisions when they shop in our stores.

Learn more about our Welfare Windows initiative.

Antibiotics

Our first Antibiotics Stewardship Policy aligns to the targets set by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA). Through these targets to reduce the use of antibiotics in our supply chain, we have started a project with The University of Glasgow School of Medicine, aiming to research the challenges and perceptions surrounding this topic. Learn more about our stance on antibiotic use and our research project.

Product Certification

All of our British fresh meat and poultry is assured by Red Tractor, a national assurance scheme that has standards across various practices including farm animal welfare. This standard goes above and beyond EU minimum requirements, in areas such as the lower stocking densities of our UK meat chicken farms and antibiotic usage. In pigs, this standard ensures that 100% of our fresh pork supply chain is free from castration, that pigs have permanent access to environmental enrichment and that they are provided with adequate manipulable materials throughout their lives.

The RSPCA Assured logo is a third-party higher welfare certification that also spans across all our fresh meat and poultry categories. We currently have 24 RSPCA Assured products lines, however this number is continually growing. You can find out more about all Our Partners.

Grass-fed Steak

Our grass-fed steak is a premium steak line from dedicated farmers, and what makes it premium is that the stock is reared on a healthy diet of at least 70% grass & forage - with at least 180 days grazing per year. Our farmers are also paid a premium to support a farming process which is more sustainable for the planet.

We are proud that the dedicated farmers who supply our Grass-Fed Range are British and are Red Tractor Farm Quality Assured. This Standard ensures that all animals are treated to the highest levels of animal welfare throughout their lifetime.

Eggs

Download our egg sourcing policy

*Figures based on number of shell eggs sold

**The covid-19 pandemic caused unique and significant challenges for the egg sector. Impacts such as the closure of the hospitality sector, the rise of home baking during periods of lockdown and challenges relating to the labour market disrupted supply chain forecasts within the industry. Lidl worked hard with its supply case during this period to keep its shelves stocked with high quality eggs at competitive prices, ensuring it met customer demand throughout this unprecedented period. Due to these unforeseen circumstances Lidl is reporting an increase in the proportion of enriched caged-eggs versus cage-free eggs in FY20/21 in comparison with FY 19/20. Despite this, Lidl is engaging closely with its supply base on the conversion to 100% cage-free eggs by 2025 and remains committed to achieving this goal.

Leaping Bunny

Lidl GB believes that cosmetic and household products should be cruelty free. We are proud to be Leaping Bunny approved. A global programme, Leaping Bunny requires cruelty free standards over and above legal requirements.

All of our own brand cosmetic and household products are approved under the Cruelty Free International Leaping Bunny programme, the internationally recognisable gold standard for cruelty free products. We adhere to a fixed cut-off date policy and proactively monitor our suppliers to ensure that our products continue to adhere to the Leaping Bunny criteria through our supplier monitoring system which is independently audited.

For more information about Cruelty Free International, Leaping Bunny and Leaping Bunny criteria, please visit http://www.crueltyfreeinternational.org.

Our goals

Our partners

Through our partners such as The Red Tractor and RSPCA Assured alongside animal welfare focussed NGOs, we have specialised contacts placed throughout the industry that can help advise and help action continuous improvement.

We have created strong supplier relationships through our lean buying practices and by championing British farming, meaning that we are able to provide product with leading-welfare standards, at an affordable price.

Our News