Industry-Leading Animal Care
It’s our moral obligation to create a healthy, comfortable environment for each and every one of our pigs. That’s why, at Prairie Fresh, we own every step of the process. We oversee the sows and pigs, the facilities that make our feed and the barns where we raise the pigs. This level of control allows us to guarantee humane treatment at every step.
Our Commitment to Pig Health
We raise healthy pigs. And the preventative measures we employ across our connected food system keep them that way. These measures include vaccinations and clean environments.
Our pigs are raised in multi-site barns specialized for each stage of life. Each pig eats a proprietary diet specially formulated with vitamins and minerals to optimize health at every step of development.
The uncompromising biosecurity practices we’ve set in place protect our pigs from diseases. For example, we require all employees and visitors to shower as they enter and exit each farm.
Responsible Antibiotic Usage
We believe in taking preventative measures to keep our pigs healthy. That includes the responsible use of antibiotics when necessary. Our team of veterinarians oversees this process to ensure the use of antibiotics on our farms is safe and done responsibly.
We maintain detailed records of all antibiotics used on our farms. We adhere to, and often exceed, the mandated withdrawal times. We also have the ability to test for antibiotic residues at our processing facility very quickly. This allows us to have the test results prior to releasing any pork to mitigate risk for our customers.
Providing a Comfortable Environment
Our Animal Care Policy goes beyond industry standards. Our pigs are given space to interact with other pigs, plus fresh water and a controlled diet to maintain health. Our care is focused on the individual pig.
In addition to our own strict protocols, we adhere to standards set by the U.S Department of Agriculture, the North American Meat Institute and the National Pork Board. We even employ multiple third-party audits of our plants and farms to ensure the well-being of our animals.
Animal Housing
Our animal housing decisions are made by a highly experienced group of veterinarians and animal care specialists. No matter the type of housing, pig comfort is our top concern.
Our connected food system gives us the ability to separate product coming from different sow housing types. We provide our customers with a choice in product that can be traced and verified — a system most other suppliers do not have.
Safe Handling
All employees that work with pigs are trained in proper handling techniques in order to keep pigs calm and free of stress. At our plants, our animal training program is USDA Process Verified. Pigs are moved in small groups and with low-stress techniques in order to keep them calm and reduce strain.
Transparent Animal Practices
We control and oversee the sows, the pigs, the facilities that make our feed, the barns where we raise the pigs and the processing plants where our pork is made. That means that from the plant, we can trace our pork back to our farms.
Our goal is to keep the production process as open and honest as possible. We invite third-party auditors in to ensure our performance is always improving.
We offer an open invitation to all customers. You’re always welcome to come and see the farms and plants for yourself.
