Farming that is better together

Coles supermarkets supports Australian businesses to innovate and grow through the $50 million Coles Nurture Fund.

The Nurture Fund was established in April 2015 and supports small-to-medium businesses in the food and grocery sector with the development of new market-leading products, technologies and processes.

Innovation is one of the primary drivers of competitiveness. Coles recognises that smart, energetic and agile small businesses can be a launch-pad for great product innovation, with Australian customers reaping the benefits of new and exciting ventures in the food industry.

From Australia’s first quinoa processing facility, to chickpea tofu, to home grown garlic and to Australian first prawn farming technology, the Coles Nurture Fund is helping Australian producers bring their big ideas to life.

More information on the Nurture Fund, including application forms  can be found here.

Established in 2014, the Coles Farm Program applies to suppliers of Coles Own Brand cage-free eggs and Graze brand beef and lamb. Under the program, farmers are required to meet strict requirements in animal husbandry and farm management. The program is a combination of self-assessments and industry body/ privately organised audits. All suppliers complete a self-assessment when joining the program which is reviewed by the Coles Responsible Sourcing team to confirm adherence to the program requirements. In addition to this, Graze suppliers complete a declaration form for each lot of animals sold in conjunction with the National Vendor Declaration protocol.

A key component of the Coles Farm Program is the Supplier Days where participants are invited to attend Coles-facilitated learning days where subject matter experts are invited to present on topics such as animal welfare, environments and production. In 2020, we held a webinar for our Graze beef suppliers where we  discussed the increasing adoption of pain relief across our Graze supplier pool, the animal welfare science associated with pain relief and the drug options available in Australia.

We work with the RSPCA Australia through the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme to offer customers a range of higher welfare Coles Own Brand products including: indoor raised, free-range and slower growing chicken; indoor raised and free-range turkey; and free-range pork. We are proud to say that as of July 2021, Coles has the broadest range of RSPCA Approved products of any major Australian supermarket retailer. 

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme has animal welfare standards that go beyond legislative requirements and are commercially achievable for pigs, meat chickens and turkeys and all farms participating in the Scheme are assessed at a minimum of twice per year by RSPCA Assessors. 

Animals farmed to the RSPCA Standards are reared in an environment that meets their physical and behavioural needs. For example, Coles Own Brand free-range RSPCA Approved fresh pork is sourced from RSPCA Approved farms where pigs are provided with shelter and bedding, as well as having permanent access to outdoor areas where they can roam and forage.

As well as farm assessments, RSPCA Assessors also perform annual abattoir assessments to ensure the processing of meat chickens, turkeys and pigs meets the RSPCA’s Standards .

Video Transcript

By working with the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme, we offer a range of higher welfare chicken, raised on farms that must meet their detailed animal welfare standards and provide an enriched environment for meat chickens to grow. 

We were the first major Australian supermarket to launch a supermarket branded range of RSPCA Approved fresh chicken in 2014. RSPCA Approved chickens are provided with perches for perching and good quality litter for dust bathing, as well as lower stocking densities compared to conventional systems, so the birds have more room to move. Birds are encouraged to be more active through brighter lighting during the day, but also have periods of darkness that allow them to rest properly. Interesting objects are also provided for birds to peck at to help keep them entertained. A minimum of one pecking object for every 1,000 birds is provided as environmental enrichment.

In September 2018, we launched Coles Own Brand fresh free-range RSPCA Approved chicken in Victoria and New South Wales and expanded the range nationally in 2019. 

All Coles Own Brand free-range RSPCA Approved fresh chicken come from farms where birds have access to enriched environments so they can forage and explore outdoors for a minimum of eight hours a day. They are provided with a barn for shelter, protection at night and are given the freedom to express their natural, innate behaviours with adequate space to move, perch and dust bathe. These birds are also raised without the use of antibiotics which is achieved through measures such as strict biosecurity controls and animal health management practices. 

In September 2019, we launched a new poultry offer into Australian supermarkets called ‘ Slow Hills ’. This breed of bird is ‘slower growing’, which means that it develops muscle at a slower rate than conventional breeds. This breed has an average daily weight gain of 55g or less, averaged over the growth cycle according to its breed specification. Slow Hills represents 2% of all Coles Own Brand chicken products in Coles supermarkets and Coles Express stores (including fresh, frozen and ingredients). 

As with all Coles Own Brand chicken¹ sold in Coles supermarkets, the Slow Hills birds are farmed to the RSPCA Standards. They are also raised as free-range and without the use of antibiotics.

We were the first major Australian supermarket to launch RSPCA Approved turkey in 2014, with all of the Coles Own Brand fresh turkeys sold in Coles supermarkets (only available for the Christmas period) being sourced from RSPCA Approved farms.

Turkeys on Coles’ RSPCA Approved farms have lower stocking densities compared to conventional systems, and better lighting systems to encourage activity and allow proper rest. Birds also have quality litter covering the floor to scratch and dust bathe (which helps clean and maintain their feathers) as well as perches and toys to keep them active and entertained. De-snooding, de-winging and toe trimming is not permitted under the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme.

Coles Own Brand free-range turkey sold in Coles supermarkets comes from birds raised on RSPCA Approved farms in the Hunter Valley and Central Coast regions in New South Wales. In addition to the above indoor provisions, these turkeys also have access from a suitable age to the outdoors to explore and forage during the day (weather permitting). 

Coles Own Brand shell (packaged) eggs sold in Coles supermarkets have been cage-free since 2013. The farms that produce these eggs are certified to Egg Standards Australia (ESA) Level 3 requirements which is audited by independent bodies. This means that Coles Own Brand shell eggs are from hens that are free to display their natural behaviours through access to nest boxes for nesting, perches for perching and litter for dust bathing. In addition, Coles Own Brand free-range shell eggs are from hens that are required to have easy access to an outdoor range during the day, shade from the sun and space to roam.

All Coles Own Brand shell eggs sold nationally are cage-free and in 2019 we also transitioned all proprietary shell eggs in Western Australia to cage-free.

We have aligned with the retail industry’s 2025 cage-free targets. Over the last 12 months a team has worked closely with our suppliers to review and update the Coles cage-free animal welfare requirements and to develop plans to meet our 2025 target.  As at July 2021, 36% of Coles Own Brand products with egg, sold in Coles supermarkets and Coles Express stores (including shell eggs and fresh and frozen) are cage-free. Coles will continue to report on progress as we work towards our 2025 target of 100% cage-free Coles Own Brand products. 
 

In 2014, we launched Coles Own Brand sow-stall free fresh pork which was a first for a major Australian supermarket.

This means that all Coles Own Brand pork, ham and bacon sold in Coles supermarkets is sourced from farms that may only confine a sow to a mating station for insemination purposes for a maximum of 24 hours.

This major animal welfare initiative means that approximately ninety thousand sows nationally are no longer kept in small, single-pig stalls for long periods during their gestation and are free to move about in pens and socialise with other sows during their gestation.

Coles Own Brand fresh pork sold in Coles supermarkets is sow-stall free, Australian sourced and undergoes rigorous auditing by independent third-party auditors against the Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance Program  Customer Specifications for Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd (APIQ + CSC)  Pork Standard. All Coles Own Brand fresh pork suppliers are also assessed to more stringent requirements developed by APIQ and Coles on areas such as husbandry practices, stocking densities, antibiotics, growth promotants and hormone use.

Coles Own Brand free-range fresh pork is the only RSPCA Approved fresh pork stocked nationally by a major Australian supermarket. Pigs reared to RSPCA Standards and have space to move, forage, socialise and explore. Sows are not confined to sow stalls or farrowing crates, instead they have good quality bedding in a free farrowing environment which provides a comfortable area to rest and material to perform their natural nesting behaviours.

All Coles Own Brand lamb is Australian grown.

In January 2020, we launched Coles Own Brand Graze fresh lamb across selected stores nationally. Lambs sourced under the Graze program are 100% Tasmanian grown, grass-fed, are free to roam on open pastures and raised without the use of antibiotics.

All Coles Own Brand fresh beef sold in Coles supermarkets has been Australian sourced and with no added hormones since 2011. By not adding hormones, the cattle grow and mature more naturally.

Coles sources cattle from both grain-fed, grass-fed and grass/grain combination systems. All of our Coles Finest grain-fed beef is sourced from feedlots that are accredited and independently audited to the   National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme  .

Graze our grass-fed beef speciality range, is sourced from Australian farmers in partnership with Coles. Cattle raised under the Graze program are Australian grown, grass-fed, and are free to roam on open pastures.

In 2019, we began direct sourcing Coles Own Brand fresh white milk in Victoria and the south coast of New South Wales, giving farmers the option of one, two or three-year contracts with transparent pricing, providing them greater confidence over their income so that they can better plan for their future.

Since then, the program has expanded to dairy farmers in the Riverina, South Australia and Western Australia (2020) and now covers sixty-three farms (as at July 2021). Expanding our direct sourcing model to Tasmania (2021) will help secure ongoing supply of local Coles Own Brand fresh white milk for Tasmanian customers.

In addition, in FY21 we expanded the model to include direct milk sourcing for Coles Own Brand cheese, sourcing milk predominantly from Victoria. Extending the direct-sourcing model is part of Coles’ commitment to investing in a more sustainable future for the Australian dairy sector.

In addition to creating a direct sourcing model, Coles has established the Coles Sustainable Dairy Development Group (CSDDG), through which Coles invests directly in on-farm sustainability projects in consultation with dairy farmers.

Farmers participate in the CSDDG through regional meetings which occur throughout the year. During the first half of FY21, due to the inability to meet face-to-face, regional meetings were conducted virtually.

The CSDDG, supported by investment from Coles, has delivered on-farm initiatives such as the purchase of defibrillators and implementation of animal healthcare technology trials.

In FY21, the CSDDG joined a three-year project to develop a Clinical Mastitis Decision Support Tool. This is a collaboration between Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), Dairy Australia, DataGene, University of Sydney, University Technology Sydney and Charles Sturt University. The project seeks to reduce the use of antibiotics in the treatment of clinical mastitis in dairy cows, and to ensure that the most appropriate antibiotics are used.

In FY21, an observational trial was conducted in the peak of summer across eight dairy farms in Western Victoria, South Australia, north-east Victoria, and Riverina New South Wales. The trial gathered data insights to better understand herd management practices in relation to heat stress, using a rumen bolus technology system. 

Based on the preliminary observations, farmers were able to identify various ways they could improve their management practices to reduce heat stress in cows. 

These included:

• bringing cows home earlier to shade; 
• management activities to increase airflow and utilise tree lines; 
• reacting earlier when temperatures are to exceed 25°C; 
• continuing heat stress reduction actions for longer periods after the temperature had dropped; 
• the use of split milkings to drive smaller mob sizes;
• improving access to drinking water through additional troughs; and
• increased sprinkler use. 

Based on the initial findings, the trial is being scaled up to further regions across Australia and to include up to ten more farms.

A farm safety best practice pilot was also launched offering farmers a comprehensive independent farm safety assessment to help them enhance and support their farm safety program.

In response to COVID-19, Coles supported farmers by providing hand sanitiser, masks, biosecurity signs and, in Victoria, support with the development of COVID Safe Plans. We will continue to provide support as needed.

We understand that the responsible use of antibiotics in agriculture is an important issue for animal and human health. Coles’ position on antibiotics is one of responsible use, where we follow the guidance of the Five R’s and AMS Framework as detailed by the Animal Health Australia report on  Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Livestock Industries .

Since 2014, we have been working on supplier programs that incorporate herd health plans, biosecurity measures and alternatives such as probiotics and vaccinations to prevent the need for antibiotic treatment.

Through our work with the RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme and the Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance (APIQ+CSC) program, Coles also requires all Coles Own Brand fresh chicken, pork and turkey suppliers to avoid the prophylactic use of antibiotics to suppress sub-clinical diseases.

The RSPCA Standards for meat chickens and turkeys require that any use of antibiotics is included as part of the farm’s veterinary health plan and that the RSPCA is notified of any prophylactic treatment. Producers are also required to have an antimicrobial stewardship plan. For RSPCA Approved free-range pork, any use of antibiotics must be detailed in the producer’s veterinary health plan, which must be reviewed each year in consultation with the attending veterinarian.

Coles is also a member of the Animal Industries’ Antimicrobial Stewardship Stakeholder Group which aims to promote antimicrobial stewardship within agriculture and address issues relating to antimicrobial resistance. This group includes the Office of the Australian Chief Veterinary Officer, state departments of primary industry, international experts in antimicrobial stewardship, and Australian livestock industry representatives from beef, dairy, eggs, pork and chicken meat.