Cherry Valley awarded Freedom Food accreditation
Duck producer Cherry Valley has received Freedom Food accreditation for its Farm Fresh Duck brand.
Freedom Food is the farm assurance and food labelling scheme established by the RSPCA to improve the welfare of farm animals. All farm animals under the scheme must be reared according to strict species-specific welfare standards covering each stage of an animal's life including handling and transportation.
Eric Jagger, sales and marketing director at Cherry Valley, said: "The company is dedicated to welfare standards and we are continuously looking for ways to improve our methods and ways of working in order to produce the best cared for ducks."
The Lincolnshire-based company's Farm Fresh ducks have access to verandas from the barns in which they live so they are free to come and go as they please and have purpose built pools of water for paddling. The duck's drinking water is kept separate in the barns, along with the feed that contains locally sourced wheat, and fresh straw is laid on a daily basis then supplied back to the farms to use as a natural fertilizer.
The accreditation means that Cherry Valley can now display the Freedom Food logo on its Farm Fresh Duck packaging.