The Auma Agronegócios pig farm, located in Patos de Minas (MG), is the first in Brazil to achieve animal welfare certification from Produtor do Bem. The recognition covers all phases of production, which includes pregnancy, maternity, nursery and finishing.
The assessment considered the entire production system such as ambience, health, environmental enrichment, food, management practices and operational management. The seal is valid for one year and marks the first certification granted by Produtor do Bem to a company in the region.
The milestone represents the introduction of a new level of technical requirements in the country. The Produtor do Bem protocol differs by adopting more restrictive criteria than those usually practiced in Brazil and in some international programs, especially in the management of matrices.
Among the main points is the adoption of the “loose copper” system, in which females are inseminated and then housed in groups. In practice, this eliminates the period of confinement in cages after insemination, a step still permitted by most protocols, which usually allow 28 to 35 days of stay in individual cells before release.
The model favors greater freedom of movement and expression of natural behaviors, being considered one of the most advanced levels of welfare in pig farming.
For the CEO of Auma Agronegócios, Lucimar Silva, the certification reinforces the company’s commitment and strategic positioning in pig farming. “Animal welfare is a fundamental pillar within our strategy, as it is directly linked to sustainability, production efficiency, care for animals and the quality of food that reaches the consumer,” he stated.
According to Lucimar, the Produtor do Bem certification validates practices that are already part of the company’s culture and contributes to increasing discipline and standardization of management processes, ambiance, and .
“Responsible production is part of the Auma Ecosystem’s actions in different agricultural activities, which already have . The new recognition, now in the pig area, strengthens this history of conscious production”, he explained.
Productive indicators and technical consistency
The production manager of the Auma Ecosystem, Baltazar Vieira, highlights that the structured process of implementing practices on this pig farm began in 2022, with specialized technical support, considering the production system as an ecosystem that involves animals, employees and the environment.
“The practical results can already be seen in the production indicators, such as the reduction in the stillbirth rate from 8% to 3% after three months of adopting environmental enrichment practices. The farm also stopped using oxytocin two years ago, eliminated teeth cutting and reduced tail docking, without an increase in cases of cannibalism”, he said.
For Vieira, animal welfare is also directly related to production performance, as improvements in nutrition, health, infrastructure and team training reflect better zootechnical indexes and greater added value to the product.
