The label, unveiled this past fall, is the first-ever program to certify that farm animals are raised in a humane manner. A Free Farmed label will assure consumers that the pork cuts they purchase from du Breton come from animals that were treated according to animal welfare standards developed by AHA. Du Breton is North America’s largest producer of all-natural, antibiotic-free pork, with national U.S. distribution through Whole Foods Markets and other select grocers. The Free Farmed certification program is audited by the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“We are honored that Farm Animal Services has certified our farms, facilities and practices as meeting the American Humane Association’s standards for pigs as humane,” said Mario Maillet, du Breton’s assistant general manager. “We have always maintained that hog farms can be profitable without the efficient yet ethically questionable practices found on factory farms.”

As part of the Free Farmed certification process, an independent FAS inspector inspected du Breton’s farms and facilities, as well as the company’s procedures and documentation.

“We are very pleased to certify that du Breton Natural Pork is the first producer to qualify for the Free Farmed label under our new standards for the care of pigs,” said Adele Douglass, executive director of FAS, which certifies, administers and monitors the Free Farmed program. “The more producers that carry this label, the more we can raise awareness of farm animal treatment.”

This occasion marks the first third-party Free Farmed certification of any hog farmer in North America. The certification is based on standards set by the AHA Scientific Committee, which consists of animal scientists, veterinarians and animal welfare experts. The standards include detailed provisions stating that the animals must be raised in ways that reduce stress, and that they have adequate shelter, comfortable resting areas, sufficient space, proper facilities and the ability to express normal behavior.

Du Breton hogs, raised by small family farmers in Quebec and the Maritimes, live in safe, spacious, carefully controlled environments and are handled by expert, compassionate stock-keepers. The pigs live on a thick layer of bedding that allows them to engage in foraging, a satisfying natural behavior for pigs. Because pigs are social animals, under these standards they are not permitted to live in isolation, except when in the care of a veterinarian.

Napoleon and Adrienne Breton founded du Breton in 1944, beginning pork production in 1974. A pioneer in pork production, du Breton is one of the largest natural pork purveyors in North America, and its cuts of meat are imported by a growing number of countries worldwide. Du Breton has national U.S. distribution. For more information about the company and its product line, call Lisa Metzger of the Fresh Ideas Group at (303) 449-2108, ext. 18, or e-mail her at.