About Us
Our Businesses
Investors
Responsibility
Media
Careers
About Us
Our Businesses
Investors
Responsibility
Media
Careers
AB Agri recognises the risk of human rights impacts in its businesses' global supply chains and believes in respecting human rights.
ABN delivery at our feed mill in Enstone, UK
AB Agri’s businesses source around 3,000 raw materials from over 1,400 suppliers, including bulk commodity suppliers and ingredient manufacturers. AB Agri values supply chain diversity and seeks to support small and mid-sized suppliers in upholding its standards. If the business needs to implement new standards or data collection requirements, it aims to work in partnership with its suppliers and engage them as early as possible.
AB Agri’s Responsible Sourcing Policy and its internal Responsible Sourcing Standards apply to all its businesses. The Policy outlines areas of focus, including deforestation and conversion of natural ecosystems, human and labour rights, and efficient and more sustainable resource use. It also explains the roles and responsibilities of the businesses and their employees in the procurement process. The Responsible Sourcing Standards, based on the Group Supplier Code of Conduct and the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code, describe the sourcing approach and processes required for different sourcing categories.
AB Agri is implementing the requirements of its Responsible Sourcing Policy, starting with the raw material category. This category includes a wide range of bulk agricultural commodities such as cereals, oilseed meals, macro minerals, feed additives and co-products. In the longer term, the division has committed that all procurement categories will adhere to defined responsible sourcing standards by 2030.
Human and labour rights risks linked to certain raw materials are identified and monitored using the Verisk Maplecroft global risk analysis tool and the Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) online database. Ultimately it is the suppliers’ responsibility to manage impacts in their supply chains, in accordance with AB Agri’s Responsible Sourcing Standards. AB Agri uses information from its risk analysis to inform conversations with relevant suppliers, and to encourage their work to comply with these standards.
By engaging with its direct suppliers, AB Agri has mapped the country of origin for over 95% of its raw material supplier base. Based on this information, an initial rating on human and labour rights risks is assigned using the Verisk Maplecroft global risk analysis tool. Certain suppliers are then required to complete an online Sedex assessment, which is reviewed by the AB Agri ethical compliance team. Depending on the findings, this may result in an on-site audit.
Throughout this process, AB Agri focuses on supporting its suppliers to achieve its Responsible Sourcing Standards and only considers alternative sourcing where efforts to use its leverage to address any relevant issues have failed.
By the end of 2025, 96% of AB Agri’s raw material suppliers had either received a low-risk rating according to the Verisk Maplecroft evaluation or were actively engaged in ongoing risk mitigation efforts in line with its Responsible Sourcing Standards.
In 2025, AB Agri continued to work collaboratively with its suppliers, particularly those identified as higher risk. During the year, the business engaged with some raw material suppliers to share insight on their supplier approval processes and any subsequent audit process. AB Agri seeks partners that can demonstrate robust ethical oversight across their supply chains. It also commissioned social audits, including audits at third-party manufacturers in China and palm product suppliers in Malaysia. These audits resulted in positive actions from suppliers to address non-conformances and align with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code.
AB Agri has expanded its focus beyond raw materials to include third-party manufacturing and contracted labour to this process. It conducted a review of contracted labour used across its own manufacturing sites globally, identifying potential risks. It has also assessed all its third-party manufacturers using a set of critical factors to evaluate risk levels.
AB Agri also provides information and training on issues relating to human rights for new employees as part of its induction process.
Regarding its own operations, all AB Agri manufacturing sites have completed an annual Sedex self-assessment. In 2022, it implemented a three-year rolling internal audit plan to conduct assessments on all its manufacturing sites globally. These have all been completed.
