ANTI-SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING POLICY
Randall Parker Food Group and its component operating Companies: Weddel Swift Distribution Ltd and Weddel Swift Ltd, remain committed to combatting modern slavery and human trafficking within our operations. This statement sets out our commitment to the UK Modern Slavery Act and the steps taken to eradicate these abhorrent practices.
Structure, Business and Supply Chains
Weddel Swift Distribution Ltd (WSDL) operate from 15 sites within England and Wales as wholesalers of Meat and related products to the retail butcher’s market. Our products are sourced primarily from with the UK, the EU and to a lesser degree elsewhere in the world.
Weddel Swift Limited (WSL) operates from 1 site within England as importers/exporters of Meat and related products to other importers and wholesalers, catering butchers, manufacturers, ship stores and to institutional/public sector outlets. Our products are sourced primarily from the EU, South America, Australia and New Zealand.
Randall Parker Food Group Ltd, as well as WSDL and WSL, the Group has two trading entities, Grass Roots Foods and Parker Fine Foods, both of which are cutting operations supplying the catering sector with retail ready meat products. The cutting operations purchase product from elsewhere within the Group and occasionally from countries within the EU.
The Group has over 550 employees.
Supply Chain Due Diligence
Our supply chain includes Abattoirs, Cutting Operations, Traders and other Wholesalers. Our customers are other importers and wholesalers, catering butchers, retail butchers, manufacturers, ship-stores and to institutional/public sector outlets.
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business.
During the course of the financial year we will re-write our supplier policy so it reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.
This will be sent to all suppliers who will be expected to positively affirm their commitment to the contents of the Modern Slavery Act and ensure strict compliance with our supplier policy.
Our terms and conditions of trade will be modified and reissued to include a general “compliance with laws and policies” clause.
Where appropriate, supplier audits will be conducted
Training and Awareness
We have introduced an “Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Policy” to help combat modern slavery in our business and supply chain. To support this, we will also develop an awareness program to ensure that all staff are fully aware of the issues surrounding modern slavery and trafficking within our own business and our supply chain. Emphasis will be given to those responsible for the approval and audit of new and existing suppliers.
We will review and revise our employee handbook to ensure that our policies and procedures (such as our anti-bribery and corruption and whistleblowing policies), where necessary, have regard to modern slavery and human trafficking and ensure that staff know how to raise issues. Any amendments to the handbook will be circulated, with an explanation, to all staff.
Effectiveness and Performance
Over the course of the next 12 months, we will continually evaluate our performance on the objectives we have set, both in terms of timing and effectiveness. We will use the following key performance indicators to measure how effective we have been to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any part of our business or supply chains.
- Number of reports from staff or externally, regarding Modern Slavery
- Monitoring supplier acceptance of new terms and conditions of
- Number of supplier audits made.
Following the review of the effectiveness of the steps we have taken we will implement any further steps required to combat slavery and trafficking.
Responsible Individual
The Board of Directors has overall responsibility for Modern Slavery compliance for Weddel Swift Limited, but the Board have given the Company’s Operations Manager responsibility for implementation of the steps set out in this statement.
This statement is made pursuant to section 54{1) of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes our slavery and human trafficking statement for the financial year ended 28th September 2023.
Randall Parker Food Group Ltd January 2023
Weddel Swift Distribution Ltd
Weddel Swift Limited
