A collection of 70 different organisations in Switzerland have written an open letter to Migros, calling on the company to reverse plans to lower its animal welfare standards for imported meat. Though the Swiss supermarket has argued that the plans still allow customers to choose meat from more ethical sources, opponents claim the move goes against the cooperative’s founding philosophy.

Migros lowers animal cruelty standards on meat

Speaking to Rundschau, Migros head Mario Irminger confirmed that the company would be lowering its animal welfare standards, alongside plans to cut the cost of 1.000 items in the store’s range. As part of the changes, instead of holding imported meat to the same ethical and treatment standards as Swiss meat, they will instead use the legal minimum required by law.

Through the announcement, 20 Minuten noted that Migros is abandoning its long-term goal of introducing Swiss animal husbandry practices to all of its imported products. However, it must be noted that other stores like Coop and Aldi already follow the legal minimum.

Open letter demands Migros reverse its new policy on imported meat

In response to the announcement, the Foundation for Animal Rights (TIR), Pro Farm Animal and 68 other companies and animal welfare organisations wrote an open letter calling on Migros to reverse the decision. "Migros' offering of cheap meat leads to the promotion of the production of products produced abroad through animal cruelty," they argued.

For instance, speaking to 20 Minuten, TIR legal expert Deborah Bätscher noted that the minimum standards for imported chicken see each bird given an A4-paper-sized space to live in. By contrast, Switzerland was one of the first countries to ban cage farming, and non-free range chickens are given up to an A3-paper-sized space each.

20 Minuten argued that the Migros' decision goes directly against the wishes of company founder Gottlieb Duttweiler. Along with banning alcohol and cigarettes, Duttweiler founded the cooperative based on “social responsibility.” 

"Consumers trust that products on the Migros shelves are ethically acceptable. If this trust is abused, Migros will not only lose its role as a role model but also the credibility it has built up over the years,” Bätscher argued. As one of Switzerland’s top supermarkets, she concluded that they have a special responsibility to promote ethical and acceptable products on the shelves.

Ethical standards are visible on packages, supermarket argues

In response, Migros spokesperson Tobias Ochsenbein told the newspaper that customers can check the animal welfare rating of each product on the shelf via the M-Check score on the packaging. "It is possible that meat with the lowest M-Check level is sold…This means that in rare cases when documents on special programs or labels are not available, the lowest rating of one point is automatically awarded, as compliance beyond the minimum legal requirements cannot be confirmed."

When asked whether Irminger was aware of animal cruelty practices in other nations, Ochsenbein said that, "in addition to animal products, Migros also sells plant-based alternatives - because both are in demand by our customers." "The aim is to provide [customers] with transparent information about how good the animal welfare standards are in each product," he concluded.

For their part, Bätscher said that Migros’ response so far has been “very unsatisfactory” when it came to animal cruelty, calling the M-Check system both "complicated" and "opaque".

Thumb image credit: Sorbis / Shutterstock.com