Production safety as a priority – Sokołów S.A. standards
Safety and quality are priorities in the activities of Sokołów S.A. – Polish meat industry leader. The company uses the greatest care in maintaining high standards in animal breeding. The programme of cooperation with Polish farmers “Together into the Future” established over 15 years ago allows for effective control at each stage of production of animals slaughtered in Sokołów S.A. facilities.
The highest quality in the meat industry can be achieved through a combination of modernity and safety. The observance of standards in this area is ensured by highly qualified Sokołów S.A. specialists, and the unique programme of cooperation with breeders assures that the meat leaving Sokołów plants is safe and of the highest quality.
The Sokołów S.A. company implements the highest animal breeding safety standards. It was one of the first Polish meat processing companies to introduce a system of direct cooperation with animal breeders, allowing complete control over production process and obliging farmers to particularly care about complying with safety requirements. The “Together into the Future” programme ensures the highest quality of the raw material coming from Sokołów S.A. production plants. Today, Sokołów cooperates permanently with approx. 2000 Polish farmers.
Farmers we work with know, that only a safe breeding guarantees prevention of dangerous diseases, including the African Swine Flu. Even before the ASF outbreaks were reported in Poland, we have implemented a special information programme aimed at raising farmer’s awareness of the need for an unconditional compliance with safety regulations and biosafety procedures. In view of the growing threat, we have also undertaken measures to raise farmers’ awareness of the consequences of having herds infected by the disease. ASF causes great production and financial losses, and usually is associated with an administrative decision on closing the production and humanitarian disposal of all the animals from the infected herd.
Rules:
1. Unconditional compliance with biosafety procedures (i.e. showers, changing of shoes and clothes). Every person entering the farm is required to follow these rules.
2. Interview with the person entering on the farm — questions on whether in the last 48 hours they have visited another farm raising pigs, slaughter facility, utilisation facility and so on. The person not meeting those requirements should be forbidden to enter the farm sooner than after 48 hours.
3. Visits to forests (mushroom picking, hunting) are not allowed in days preceding visit to the farm. It’s necessary to have a 48 hour-long break between visit to a forest and to a farm.
4. Double fencing of farms (as a security measure preventing wild animals from entering the farm).
The “Together into the Future” programme allows complete control over each production stage. This is assured, among others, by the Sokołów S.A. employees — specialists cooperating in the field with Polish farmers. They not only control farms, but also provide comprehensive knowledge on how to safely run a farm. Sokołów S.A. particularly cares about animal welfare, optimum environment, and optimum breeding conditions, all greatly contributing to production of high quality meat. The “Together into the Future” programme places great emphasise on proper veterinary prevention.
An obligation to conduct breeding in accordance with good practices is enclosed in a contract signed by the “Together into the Future” breeders. Each animal bred on a farm is registered and has a veterinary treatment book. Each supplier is also obliged to publish information regarding feeding, disease treatment and prevention measures in a document titled “Information on Food Chain of Slaughter Animals”. This document is included with each batch of livestock delivered for slaughter.
The meat and meat products supplied by Sokołów S.A. to consumers are produced under a constant supervision of the Veterinary Inspection and meet the safety criteria set in the food safety legislation and the rules and regulations regarding dealing with the outbreaks of contagious diseases in animals. At the same time, we would like to emphasise, that the virus causing the disease is transmitted only between pigs and poses no threat to humans.