Our commitment to animal welfare

When animals are treated responsibly, it’s a win-win situation — they’re healthy, we’re happy and you’re well-fed. We believe what’s good for the animals is good for the end product. That’s why the independent farmers we partner with devote so much effort to raising the animals in a way that aligns with our values.

Animal Welfare Heart icon

Animal welfare is our first priority

Veterinarian oversight and consultations help ensure animals are properly taken care of.
Animal Welfare Heart icon

We’re trained in compassionate practices

Independent farmers have been Pork Quality Assurance® Plus trained, which means they’re taught how to measure, track and continuously improve animal welfare.
Animal Welfare Heart icon

We provide animal transportation training

Animal transporters are trained on best practices for animal handling and transporting, which help to reduce stress and injury, by Pork Quality Assurance Transportation and Transport Quality Assurance.
Animal Welfare Heart icon
Harvesting responsibly is important to us
All harvest facilities have a robust responsible handling program in place, with comprehensive training for team members interacting and handling animals and procedures to identify areas for continuous improvement.
Animal Welfare Heart icon

We hold ourselves accountable — along with third-party auditors

An External Animal Welfare Advisory Panel and third-party auditors ensure we’re delivering on all our promises and claims. Audit criteria are based on industry best practices and focus on human-animal interactions.

Check out our FAQs for more information.

You’re always welcome in the barn

Join us on this virtual reality tour to get an inside peek of a hog nursery barn! Here, you’ll learn about the Open Prairie® Natural* Meats brand’s strict Never Ever program, get expert information from a veterinarian and see a 360° view of where and how hogs are raised.

Looking for more details?

You’ve come to the right place. Click the link below for our full animal welfare expectations.

From the Open Prairie Natural Meats blog:

Baby’s first proteins

Baby’s first proteins

Every parent wants the best for their baby. You want them to be healthy and happy. That includes wanting to feed them nutritious foods. But it’s sometimes tough to know what foods are best for them....