Our Practices

Our animal welfare practices

We are unique in the pork pet treat market, as we own and operate all our own Australian farms. Each farm is certified by the Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance Program (APIQ). This program provides the framework and standards by which Australian pig producers can demonstrate they are responsible farmers who care for their animals, the environment, and their customers, by following safe and sustainable practices. Coupled with ongoing enrichment projects, we continue to lead the industry in maintaining optimal welfare conditions for all animals in our care.

No waste production

We produce quality Australian pork on our own farms and strive to build a more sustainable future through responsible farming practices.

 

By gently air-drying things like pork snouts and ears, we turn them into something crunchy and packed with flavour that our dogs just love! Our PAWK treat range helps us make use of every part of the pig and move closer to our goal of a no waste production model that benefits our people, our pets, our pigs and our planet.

No waste production

We produce quality Australian pork on our own farms and strive to build a more sustainable future through responsible farming practices.

 

By gently air-drying things like pork snouts and ears, we turn them into something crunchy and packed with flavour that our dogs just love! Our PAWK treat range helps us make use of every part of the pig and move closer to our goal of a no waste production model that benefits our people, our pets, our pigs and our planet.

Environmental impact

Pork production is one of the most sustainable ways to grow protein, which is such a vital element of a healthy diet for our dogs. At PAWK Pet Co. we’re committed to improving the efficiency of our operations and minimising our environmental footprint.

 

We have voluntarily entered into the Australian Governments Emissions Reduction Fund, which is a scheme that aims to encourage organisations to adopt new practices and technologies to reduce their emissions. We track our carbon footprint and resource usage closely, and we’re proud to say that the pork used in our dog treats has minimal land footprint relative to our output volume. We produce more than 3 times more human (and dog) edible protein than we consume, and we’re committed to continuously improving food security for Australia through our productive and efficient processes.
 

Have a look at some of our achievements to date:

Our greenhouse gas emission intensity is 7% below the national average of Australian pig producers.

Our energy use is 26% below the national average at farm gate.

Our water use is 7% below the national average.

We’ve had a 50% decline in greenhouse gas emissions at our largest farm over 10 years.

Autism and Agriculture

At PAWK Pet Co, we’re proud to be part of an organisation which actively establishes and maintains progressive policies and programs. One example of this is our Autism and Agriculture program, which is a world-first initiative that employs autistic adults with a high attention to detail in specialist animal care roles. 

 

The program has resulted in an on-boarding and support framework to help place autistic adults into fully integrated, full or part-time employment, on our farms in Queensland and South Australia. Today, 2% of our animal care staff are proudly on the autism spectrum. 

Renewable energy

We’re always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the environment, and part of this is about seeking renewable options to power our business. Any step we can move closer to a closed loop system is a step in the right direction for our future, and that of the next generation.

 

One of the innovative ways we’ve adapted our practices is through our Biogas initiatives, where waste from our production streams is used to generate power. When collected in effluent ponds, pig waste generates methane gas which has the potential to be converted to electricity to power our farms.  Over the last 7 years, we’ve invested in biogas plants across a number of our farms – which traps the gas in our ponds and generates over 5.7GWh of electricity per year. On average this provides almost 20% of total monthly energy demand on some farms, and also prevents the methane gas from entering the atmosphere. Today, we have five biogas plants and plans in place to build more!