To echo some of the other comments, I also think this kind of detailed, external “red teaming” of cost-effectiveness calculations is great in general, and I’d like to see more of it. As someone who has supported Sinergia in the past, I was concerned about some of the claims, and took a few hours to do some shallow research of my own. Tl;dr, my personal opinion of Sinergia hasn’t changed much, pending their response.
To address the specific criticisms:
I
Sinergia claims that “JBS published in 2023 the commitment to banning ear notching by 2023.” As evidence for this claim, Sinergia provided a link to one of JBS’s animal welfare pages.[12] However, the link does not state JBS committed to this. We also checked every archived version of the link and could not find this commitment. Further, in 2024, JBS stated that they still use ear notching due to “Difficulty in finding alternatives that ensure process traceability.”
After the impacts of Pigs in Focus rank 1st edition and dozen of meetings, JBS published in 2023 the commitment to banning ear notching by 2023
Subsequent calculations assume that this commitment went into effect in 2023, well in advance of Brazil’s legal deadline of 2030. However, Pig Watch 2023 states that JBS intended for this commitment to take effect in 2027, and Pig Watch 2024 updates this to “no longer has a defined deadline”.
Depending on the timing, this could tell a consistent story in which JBS committed to the 2023 deadline, then changed it to 2027/undefined after Sinergia published the Committed Companies 2023 sheet. However, I would have expected the 2024 edition of Pigs in Focus to reduce JBS’s ear notching ranking, but they still receive the full three points (which may suggest that Sinergia is not closely monitoring all of their existing commitments).
II
Sinergia claims that in 2023, JBS published a commitment to not use gestation crates in all new projects, with a “Transition deadline” of 2023.
As evidence for this claim, Sinergia provided a link to one of the JBS’s animal welfare pages. However, the gestation crate policy that the alleged commitment references was already listed on JBS’s website in 2020, and has been in effect since that point.
Sinergia’s claim in Committed Companies 2023:
JBS already had the commitment to banning the continuous use of gestation crates in all units and adopt mixed system by 2025 and after the impacts of Pigs in Focus rank 1st edition and dozen of meetings, JBS published in 2023 the commitment to adopt crate-free system for the new units.
In 2015, Seara made a commitment to carry out the transition from individual to collective gestation in its pig production. Even before 2015, the company already had females in collective gestation. However, since formally assuming the commitment, it has invested in new initiatives and adjustments. New projects or extensions are already built according to this standard and, in addition, the company has supported its integrated suppliers in fulfilling this commitment, so that its entire chain is adapted to the collective gestation system, progressively, until 2025.
I admit to not totally understanding the nuances here, but I read this as: Sinergia acknowledges that JBS already had a commitment to transition from individual to collective gestation (they refer to this as a “mixed system”, I think because it still involves some use of gestation crates?) by 2025, and is not taking credit for this change. They do claim partial responsibility for JBS’s commitment to adopt crate-free systems for all new units starting in 2023.
While this does sound like a distinct policy, I don’t understand exactly how it relates to the “Para novos Projetos de Unidades de Produção de Leitões” (For new Piglet Production Unit Projects) section on JBS’s current animal welfare page.
III
Sinergia claims credit for getting Alegra, Alibem, Master Agroindustrial, and Pif Paf Alimentos (all Brazilian meat processors) to end their use of teeth clipping on pigs. However, teeth clipping pigs was already illegal in Brazil prior to the alleged commitments.
In Committed Companies 2023, Sinergia does include claims about teeth clipping from these four companies, usually as part of a broader list of “Multilations banned” (including surgical castration and ear notching).
Regarding the teeth of piglets, it is more important to confirm that clipping is already prohibited by the NI 113, and that grinding is allowed only when necessary. Alegra reported that it has not yet banned the procedure and that it has not set a deadline for it, in order to avoid injuries to the sows’ teats. Aurora pointed out that they do not recommend this handling as a routine practice on the farms, only in cases of extreme need, such as in cases of injuries to the sows and piglets, which compromises their welfare.
Alegra’s rating in Pigs in Focus changed from one to three points between 2022 and 2023, so it seems at least plausible that Sinergia helped persuade them to end grinding. And indeed Pig Watch 2023 confirms:
In the 2022 edition, only BRF, JBS (Seara) and Pamplona had reported the end of teeth grinding. This year, Alegra also claimed to have banned the practice.
Note: the company appears to have backtracked on this commitment in 2024, which (unlike #1 above) is reflected in the latest Pigs in Focus (though I’m not sure what happened with the 2022 column).
IV
Sinergia claims credit for getting Aurora to end their use of surgical castration on pigs, but the company’s website already indicated they don’t use the surgical castration on pigs prior to the alleged commitment.
Sinergia says:
After the impacts of Pigs in Focus rank 1st edition and dozen of meetings, Aurora published in 2023 the commitment to banning surgical castration in pigs
Sinergia’s criteria for full points on its “Criterion 4: Banning surgical castration” Pigs in Focus metric:
Instead of surgical castration, which involves cutting the scrotum and removing the testicles without the use of anesthesia or analgesia, companies can commit to adopting, for example, immunocastration, which involves the injection of a vaccine, thereby significantly reducing the pain and stress of the animals. If surgical castration is chosen, it must always be performed with proper pain management, meaning the use of anesthesia and analgesia.
In the 2022 version of Pigs in Focus, Sinergia says of Aurora:
Aurora states that immunological castration (vaccine) is recommended, but there is no deadline to adapt 100% of operations. The company also states that when surgical castration is performed, it must be done with anesthetic. However, there is no plan to include analgesics before 2030, an excessively long timeline.
And then in the 2023 edition:
Aurora meets the criteria for the end of surgical castration
So the way I read this, Aurora already had a policy recommending immunocastration prior to 2022, but still allowed surgical castration with anesthesia (but not analgesia) to be performed in some cases. I’m not clear what Sinergia claims changed in Aurora’s 2023 commitment, but it plausibly could be either a complete ban on surgical castration, or the introduction of analgesia?
V
Sinergia claims credit for getting BRF to end their use of gestation crates in new projects, but BRF had already implemented a policy requiring this prior to the alleged commitment.
From Sinergia in Committed Companies 2023:
BRF already had the commitment to banning the continuous use of gestation crates in all units and adopt group housing systems by 2026. After the impacts of Pigs in Focus rank 1st edition and a dozen of meetings, JBS [sic] published in 2023 the commitment to adopt crate-free systems for all the new units.
Note: assuming “JBS” here is just a copy-paste error, but it could be something more fundamental.
From Pigs in Focus 2023:
BRF has evolved in its commitment to the gestation crates criterion with a transition deadline to a group housing system by 2026. The company recently announced its commitment to implementing the ‘crate-free’ system for all new projects starting in 2023. However, the company has not yet set a deadline for the complete phasing out of gestation crates in all its operations.
Like #2 above, Sinergia seems to be making a more limited claim that BRF is transitioning to crate-free (not just group housing or collective gestation) for new units starting in 2023. This at least seems consistent with BRF’s 2019 commitments (prior to Sinergia’s involvement), translated:
We have made a public commitment to transition from the traditional sow housing system to the collective gestation system where animals are kept in pens with larger spaces and have group living. Since 2013, the collective gestation system has been mandatory in all Company expansion projects.
Thanks for your comment. We will look at your analysis too.
I want to acknowledge that members of this community have shared this post with us, and we truly appreciate your engagement and interest in our work. A deep commitment to create real change, transparency and honesty have always been central to our approach, and we will address all concerns accordingly.
To clarify in advance, we have never taken credit for pre-existing or non-existent policies, and we will explain this in our response. We always strive to estimate our impact in good faith and will carefully review our methodology based on this feedback to address any concerns, if valid.
This discussion comes at a particularly busy time for us, as we have been attending EA Global while continuing our critical work across eight countries. We appreciate your patience as we prepare a thorough response.
As a best practice, we believe organizations mentioned by others in posts should have the chance to respond before content is published. We take the principle of the right to reply so seriously that we even extend it to companies targeted in our campaigns or enforcement programs. In that spirit, we will share our response with Vetted Causes via the email provided on their website 24 hours (or as much time as Vetted Causes prefers) before publishing it on the Forum.
The EA community has been a vital supporter of our work, and we hope this serves as an constructive opportunity to provide further insight into our efforts and approach.
Alegra’s rating in Pigs in Focus changed from one to three points between 2022 and 2023, so it seems at least plausible that Sinergia helped persuade them to end grinding.
Page 40-41 of Pig Watch 2024 indicates Alegra has not banned teeth grinding, and plans to follow Normative Instruction 113 (which allows teeth grinding in certain circumstances). Alegra is legally required to follow Normative Instruction 113.
Additionally, we noticed that you reference Sinergia’s Pigs in Focus quite a lot, and wanted to caution you that from what we’ve found, Pigs in Focus is not a reliable source.
For example, on page 30 of Alibem’s Sustainability Report, Alibem states they will “Maintain immunocastration instead of surgical castration – a procedure that was voluntarily eliminated from the Company’s protocolsin 2010.”
However, on page 20 of Pigs in Focus 2023, Sinergia indicates that in 2022 Alibem had not banned surgical castration, but in 2023 Alibem had banned surgical castration. Further, Sinergia took credit for getting Alibem to ban surgical castration “by 2023” (see Cell K4).
To echo some of the other comments, I also think this kind of detailed, external “red teaming” of cost-effectiveness calculations is great in general, and I’d like to see more of it. As someone who has supported Sinergia in the past, I was concerned about some of the claims, and took a few hours to do some shallow research of my own. Tl;dr, my personal opinion of Sinergia hasn’t changed much, pending their response.
To address the specific criticisms:
I
Sinergia’s claim in Committed Companies 2023:
Subsequent calculations assume that this commitment went into effect in 2023, well in advance of Brazil’s legal deadline of 2030. However, Pig Watch 2023 states that JBS intended for this commitment to take effect in 2027, and Pig Watch 2024 updates this to “no longer has a defined deadline”.
Depending on the timing, this could tell a consistent story in which JBS committed to the 2023 deadline, then changed it to 2027/undefined after Sinergia published the Committed Companies 2023 sheet. However, I would have expected the 2024 edition of Pigs in Focus to reduce JBS’s ear notching ranking, but they still receive the full three points (which may suggest that Sinergia is not closely monitoring all of their existing commitments).
II
Sinergia’s claim in Committed Companies 2023:
From the (translated) link to JBS’s 2020 policy:
I admit to not totally understanding the nuances here, but I read this as: Sinergia acknowledges that JBS already had a commitment to transition from individual to collective gestation (they refer to this as a “mixed system”, I think because it still involves some use of gestation crates?) by 2025, and is not taking credit for this change. They do claim partial responsibility for JBS’s commitment to adopt crate-free systems for all new units starting in 2023.
While this does sound like a distinct policy, I don’t understand exactly how it relates to the “Para novos Projetos de Unidades de Produção de Leitões” (For new Piglet Production Unit Projects) section on JBS’s current animal welfare page.
III
In Committed Companies 2023, Sinergia does include claims about teeth clipping from these four companies, usually as part of a broader list of “Multilations banned” (including surgical castration and ear notching).
Re: Alegra specifically, from Pig Watch 2022:
Alegra’s rating in Pigs in Focus changed from one to three points between 2022 and 2023, so it seems at least plausible that Sinergia helped persuade them to end grinding. And indeed Pig Watch 2023 confirms:
Note: the company appears to have backtracked on this commitment in 2024, which (unlike #1 above) is reflected in the latest Pigs in Focus (though I’m not sure what happened with the 2022 column).
IV
Sinergia says:
Sinergia’s criteria for full points on its “Criterion 4: Banning surgical castration” Pigs in Focus metric:
In the 2022 version of Pigs in Focus, Sinergia says of Aurora:
And then in the 2023 edition:
So the way I read this, Aurora already had a policy recommending immunocastration prior to 2022, but still allowed surgical castration with anesthesia (but not analgesia) to be performed in some cases. I’m not clear what Sinergia claims changed in Aurora’s 2023 commitment, but it plausibly could be either a complete ban on surgical castration, or the introduction of analgesia?
V
From Sinergia in Committed Companies 2023:
Note: assuming “JBS” here is just a copy-paste error, but it could be something more fundamental.
From Pigs in Focus 2023:
Like #2 above, Sinergia seems to be making a more limited claim that BRF is transitioning to crate-free (not just group housing or collective gestation) for new units starting in 2023. This at least seems consistent with BRF’s 2019 commitments (prior to Sinergia’s involvement), translated:
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your comment. We will look at your analysis too.
I want to acknowledge that members of this community have shared this post with us, and we truly appreciate your engagement and interest in our work. A deep commitment to create real change, transparency and honesty have always been central to our approach, and we will address all concerns accordingly.
To clarify in advance, we have never taken credit for pre-existing or non-existent policies, and we will explain this in our response. We always strive to estimate our impact in good faith and will carefully review our methodology based on this feedback to address any concerns, if valid.
This discussion comes at a particularly busy time for us, as we have been attending EA Global while continuing our critical work across eight countries. We appreciate your patience as we prepare a thorough response.
As a best practice, we believe organizations mentioned by others in posts should have the chance to respond before content is published. We take the principle of the right to reply so seriously that we even extend it to companies targeted in our campaigns or enforcement programs. In that spirit, we will share our response with Vetted Causes via the email provided on their website 24 hours (or as much time as Vetted Causes prefers) before publishing it on the Forum.
The EA community has been a vital supporter of our work, and we hope this serves as an constructive opportunity to provide further insight into our efforts and approach.
Best,
Carolina
Hi,
When do you plan to publish your response?
Hi Dan, thank you for your reply.
Page 40-41 of Pig Watch 2024 indicates Alegra has not banned teeth grinding, and plans to follow Normative Instruction 113 (which allows teeth grinding in certain circumstances). Alegra is legally required to follow Normative Instruction 113.
Additionally, we noticed that you reference Sinergia’s Pigs in Focus quite a lot, and wanted to caution you that from what we’ve found, Pigs in Focus is not a reliable source.
For example, on page 30 of Alibem’s Sustainability Report, Alibem states they will “Maintain immunocastration instead of surgical castration – a procedure that was voluntarily eliminated from the Company’s protocols in 2010.”
However, on page 20 of Pigs in Focus 2023, Sinergia indicates that in 2022 Alibem had not banned surgical castration, but in 2023 Alibem had banned surgical castration. Further, Sinergia took credit for getting Alibem to ban surgical castration “by 2023” (see Cell K4).