Our animal-friendly own-label brands

Over 40 percent of the fresh meat we sell already comes from our own-label Naturafarm, Naturaplan, Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal programmes. A further proportion, more than 20 percent, comes from operations which use PAS (particularly animal-friendly stabling).

 

Naturafarm: Animals have access to range

Our Naturafarm own-label brand guarantees high-quality Swiss meat and eggs from animal-friendly access-to-range or free-range farming. Animals on a Naturafarm farm have lots of space, can move about freely, and always have access to range. In the housing, there are separate areas where they can eat, play and sleep. The floor of the housing is covered with plenty of straw.

Strict requirements apply within the Naturafarm animal husbandry programme:

  • Rearing, fattening, slaughtering and processing must take place in Switzerland.
  • Operations producing for Naturafarm must participate in the Federal animal husbandry programmes PAS (particularly animal-friendly stabling) and ROEL (regular outdoor exercise for livestock) as a minimum. This means that cows, calves and pigs have access to an exercise yard, and laying hens and chickens have access to pasture.
  • In addition to this, Naturafarm laying hens and fattening chickens are kept according to the strict requirements for free-range poultry. Cows and calves in the Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal programmes have access to pasture, and the pigs have considerably more space than specified by ROEL and PAS.
  • The feeds are guaranteed not to have been genetically modified and correspond to the Coop Animal Feed Guideline. There is end-to-end quality monitoring with full traceability.
  • The soya used in feed for laying hens and fattening chickens is from certified, sustainable production in Europe in accordance with the Danube Soya guidelines. No soya is used in feed for animals in the Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal programmes.

Unannounced inspections by Swiss Animal Protection

The Naturafarm guidelines are more stringent than the Swiss Animal Protection Act, and Naturafarm farms undergo regular, unannounced inspections by Swiss Animal Protection (SAP).

Go to Naturafarm

Naturaplan: Organic from barn to plate

Along with Demeter, Naturaplan has the most stringent requirements of all organic brands in Switzerland – and that includes animal protection. A few examples:

  • The entire farm is organically run, not just individual branches of the operation.
  • The animals live in small herds and have outdoor exercise all year round.
  • As well as grass and hay, the animals' diet also includes organically-grown grains, for example.
  • The preventive use of antibiotics is prohibited.
  • The farmers do not use crop protection agents or artificial fertilizers that incorporate synthetic chemicals.

Inspected by independent bodies

Independent, state-accredited institutions inspect the organic farms that supply us at least once a year. The processing facilities and suppliers are also audited annually, to ensure that the organic label is genuine.

Go to Naturaplan

Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal: In the meadow with their mothers

We have been selling meat from animals reared using suckler cow husbandry since the early 1980s. As the name suggests, these cows and calves grow up with their mothers – just as nature intended, making suckler cow husbandry the most natural form of cattle-rearing. The meat from these animals is available from us under the Natura-Beef and Natura-Veal brands, with the Naturafarm quality seal.

Natural feed and plenty of exercise

Calves (Natura-Veal) reared using suckler cow husbandry stay with their mothers for five months and drink their mothers' milk. The cows (Natura-Beef) live with their mothers for ten months. In addition to their mothers' milk their main diet is fresh grass and hay. This is the best diet for them as it provides them with natural proteins and removes the need to supplement their feed with soya. The animals can go outside whenever they wish, either to the field or – in winter and in adverse weather – to the exercise yard.

Go to our guidelines on food production
Animal welfare work overview