VION Position Statement

Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is a subject that is of increasing concern to consumers across many European markets, and most notably in the UK, where high profile media campaign to promote higher (UK) welfare standards for pigs prevail. 

VION has adopted a consistent position regarding animal welfare and, as noted in its 2007 Annual Report, “VION encourages measures aimed at enhancing animal welfare”. In response to increased interest in animal welfare, a position statement is set out below.


As a responsible food processor, VION has a track record of investment in improvements in quality, food safety and animal welfare. VION is a market-focused company that works with its customers to offer products that satisfy the increasingly diverse demands of the marketplace from premium organic produce to economy lines. Today, UK market demands are met by both UK and Dutch supply chains.

VION is a major UK producer and processor of pork with interests in each link of the UK pig supply chain, from feed mills and pig farms, to primary and added value processing.

In response to UK market demands, in 1997 VION pig meat operations in Holland made significant investments to develop a UK welfare quality programme (VION Good Farming Welfare) which is independently audited and approved by major UK retailers. Currently, all UK market demand for this specification of product is being satisfied.
However, demand for welfare specification product is only focused on some segments of the UK market. With the same commitment to quality and food safety, VION meets the demands of other UK customers within its Good Farming programme which meets both EU and national legislative requirements.



29th January 2009