AGRO INNOVA COMPANY LIMITED EMBRACES CAGE-FREE EGG SOURCING
Image captures CEO of Agro Innova signing MOU with the Director of Animal Welfare League
Agro Innova Company Limited, a prominent Ghanaian AgriTech firm and a leader in Africa's agricultural innovation sector, has reinforced its commitment to global standards and ethics by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the Animal Welfare League on April 12, 2024. This partnership aims to enhance the welfare of hens within Agro Innova’s supply chain, with a pledge to source eggs exclusively from non-battery cage farms in Ghana.
Registered in Ghana, Agro Innova leverages climate-smart, farmer-centered digital innovations to improve food security and the livelihoods of smallholder farmers across Africa. Through its digital e-commerce platform, Akokomarket, the company supports both small-scale and commercial poultry farmers by providing access to guaranteed markets, inputs like feed and day-old chicks, and offering consumers verified, safe products, including eggs.
This decision by Agro Innova follows corporate engagements of the Animal Welfare League during its corporate cage-free outreach with Agro Innova Company to adopt a welfare policy that prioritises ethical and humane treatment of animals in its supply chains; a decision that considers the welfare of laying hens and fulfills social responsibility to all class of consumers.
Ethical sourcing of eggs from cage-free farms has several benefits, which include but are not limited to the following;
Animal Welfare: cage-free eggs are produced by hens in cage free farms. These farms allow the layer hens to engage in their instinctive natural behaviors which lead to a high quality of life for the hens.
Social responsibility to consumers: There is a growing consumer demand for ethically produced products including cage free eggs, and therefore sourcing cage free eggs align with consumers values.
This Memorandum of Understanding features the Animal Welfare League’s collaboration with Agro Innova which will improve the lives of several thousands of hens annually that produce 15 million eggs average per month distributed to key supermarkets and hotels through:
Cage free policy adoption: Agro Innova will adopt a cage-free policy - ensuring strict adherence to sourcing of cage-free poultry products only from cage-free farmers who comply with the minimum animal welfare standards and higher welfare practices. Animal Welfare League will assist AkokoMarket in establishing these standards.
Farmer Training: AWL will support Agro Innova in training of poultry farmers within their supply chains equipping farmers with best industry and higher animal welfare practices.
The collaboration between the Animal Welfare League and Agro Innova Company Limited will position the Akokomarket as one of the leading agritech innovations in Africa, adhering to higher animal welfare standards and providing value to consumers.
Moses Mallaghan, CEO of Agro Innova said.
Dr. Daniel Abiliba, Director of the Animal Welfare League, congratulated Agro Innova on taking this step towards providing sustainable and ethical products to their customer base - the Ghanaian populace. He said
the innovation and spirit of responsible food production at Agro Innova is inspirational and should be recognized. The Animal Welfare League is excited to be working with a well-meaning group and encourages other companies such as Hatch Africa to adopt similar transparent standards and practices.
