What Do We Believe In?
We reckon that over the past century food systems all over the world have gotten a bit munted. Lots of farm animals have really sad lives, lots of farms are being pushed beyond their environmental limits, and lots of farmers are forced to make heaps of low quality cheap produce rather than a little bit less better quality produce… because we’ve been sending them the wrong messages.
Let’s be encouragers.
The world already has enough critics – we’re not adding anything by pointing out more of the crappy stuff that is happening in food production. Instead we want to be encouragers. We know what we feel good about supporting… and we want to make it easy for you to support what you feel good about too. We reckon if we all focus more energy on encouraging – maybe we will actually change the world?
Giving farm animals a better life.
Freedom from Hunger and Thirst.
By making sure the animals have easy access to clean water and food to keep them happy + healthy.
Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour.
By providing plenty of space, shelter and keeping farm animals with familiar company.
Freedom from Discomfort.
By making sure the place where they live has comfortable resting areas, shelter and keeps them safe.
Freedom from Fear and Distress.
By making sure staff are calm, confident and gentle, and extra care is taken to avoid stressful situations.
Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease.
By being proactive about prevention and acting quickly if something goes wrong.
A Carefully Managed End.
By having firm guidelines around transport conditions and keeping a close eye on what happens at the abbatoir.
Taking it easy on the environment
We’re firm believers in the essential role of farmers in our response to a changing climate. Very few industries wield so much power: providing delicious and nutritious food, while building resilient rural New Zealand livelihoods and delivering a healthy planet for future generations.
It’s impossible to untangle the huge importance of food production from taking care of the environment: which is why it is super important to us that all the Freedom Farms qualifying producers take their role as stewards of the land seriously. Happily, none of our farmers needed any convincing of that!
So, what does taking it easy on the environment look like? Freedom Farms qualifying farmers protect their land by practicing careful and responsible management of farm animal waste. Freedom Farms qualifying farmers produce crops and raise farm animals without relying on practices that degrade soil, water, or other natural resources. By growing a variety of plants and using traditional agricultural methods such as crop rotation, cover crops, riparian planting and careful management of farm animal stocking density, our farmers protect biodiversity and foster the development and maintenance of healthy ecosystems. By supporting farming that helps to protect our soil, waterways, ecosystems and biodiversity.
Building Biodiversity
Making farms a friendly place for a range of plants, birds and bugs.
Making Good Soil
Everything starts in the ground – the top six inches of soil is probably this planet’s most precious resource.
Protecting Waterways
Our waterways and wetlands are critical… the number one thing we can do to protect them is keep manure a long long way away.
Supporting a resilient local food system.
By working with NZ farmers, producers and industry folk to grow a food system we can all be super proud of. While the work being done on farm is a huge part of the food production system… there’s more to it than just great farmers.
Farm to Plate Traceability.
By having good systems in place to manage the journey of products from the farm gate to your fridge. Freedom Farms products are kept separate in time and space from other products… so you know exactly what you’re supporting and where it came from.
Figuring out Plastics.
By carefully balancing the need for food safety against the need to keep plastics out of our landfills. At the moment about 95% of our products can be recycled… including into new RPET products or the chemical-free fence posts many of our farmers use on their farms.
Country of Origin.
By always being absolutely totally clear that all our products come from our independently audited New Zealand farms. No caveats, sneaky language or dodgy asterisks!
