Our Mission for Animal Care and to Produce Wholesome Pork
At Seaboard Foods, we believe that wholesome pork the right way starts with the highest standards of animal care. Guided by science and led by veterinarians, our team is dedicated to raising pigs responsibly – with compassion, respect and expert care. Because we oversee every step—from mixing feed with locally sourced grains to raising pigs on our farms and preparing pork in our facilities—you can trust that our pigs are cared for properly at every stage. Our veterinarians create science‑based training for farm team members, helping ensure every pig receives consistent, high‑quality care. This commitment to animal care is how we deliver excellence to the table!
Our Animal Welfare Commitment
We believe that animal welfare is best understood through the signs we can observe and measure. That’s why we follow a science-based approach called the Five Domains of Animal Welfare. These five areas—nutrition, environment, health, behavior and mental state—guide how we care for our pigs every day.
When pigs have proper nutrition, a clean and comfortable environment, good health and opportunities to express natural behaviors, it supports a positive mental state. Our commitment extends across all five of these areas. Guided by science, our veterinarians continuously assess procedures, technologies and research to support the care of our herds.
Nutrition: Fully Hydrated and Satisfied
All our pigs are provided a well-balanced, properly-portioned, expertly-formulated diet that is readily accessible. These diets fulfill the pig’s nutritional needs during the different production stages. We ensure all pigs have unlimited access to clean, fresh water.
Environment: Safe, Protected and Physically Comfortable
Our pigs are housed in environments that protect them from extreme weather conditions and predators. Proper ventilation and air circulation are used to maintain comfortable temperatures and healthy air quality.
All barns are constructed with appropriate penning, flooring, chutes, alleyways and walkways to help prevent harm or injury.
We offer a variety of sow housing options to meet regulatory standards and customer expectations.
Health: Functional and Productive
All our pigs receive veterinary care and treatment, when necessary, under the direct supervision of a herd veterinarian. We implement robust biosecurity measures and administer appropriate vaccines to protect all our herds from disease outbreaks. A physically healthy pig is a thriving pig.
learn how we use antibiotics responsibly to keep our pigs healthy
Behavior: Calm, Engaged and Interactive
At Seaboard Foods, we think the best food systems start with people being connected and knowing why they do what they do. Therefore, we have a variety of ongoing training programs for our employees, and every year we train all farm employees on humane animal care. We also train and certify our teams in proper animal handling who move our pigs from the barns to the trailers. This training instills the right mindset and skills for safe and humane practices in our barns and processing plants, and provides detailed information about how to properly care for our pigs to ensure their well-being and safeguard their health.
Welfare Monitoring, Training and Zero-Tolerance Policy
To uphold our high animal care standards, we maintain a
comprehensive animal handling program centered on hands‑on monitoring
by our trained team members, as well as by independent third parties. This
approach helps ensure proper care for our animals and the production of safe,
quality pork.
Additionally, we enforce a zero-tolerance policy for animal mistreatment and adhere to care standards set by the North American Meat Institute, National Pork Board and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.