Resources

Financial Year 2021/22

This statement is made pursuant to s.54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and sets out the steps that Armitage Pet Products Limited has taken and is continuing to take to ensure that modern slavery or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain.

Modern slavery encompasses slavery, servitude, human trafficking and forced labour. Armitage Pet Products Limited has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of modern slavery. We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity and transparency in all business dealings and to putting effective systems and controls in place to safeguard against any form of modern slavery taking place within the business or our supply chain.

Our business

Armitage Pet Products Limited is a distributor of pet products and accessories in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. With over 200 years of expertise and many leading brands in our portfolio. Armitage Pet Products Limited is headquartered in Nottingham, UK

Armitage Pet Care has over 2,000 products, controlled by a sophisticated stock control system and a rapid distribution network servicing all parts of the globe.

International Operations – none

Number of Suppliers – 200

Number of Employees – 52

Armitage stay ahead of the competition by launching new and innovative products, based on extensive market research with pet owners. These products are branded consistently throughout, making them eye catching and encouraging brand loyalty.

Quality is our watchword – we ensure all products are manufactured to the most stringent standards. Investment in the latest technology with traditional skills, we are able to offer unrivalled flexibility and service.

At Armitage we pride ourselves in being a total ‘one-stop-shop’ in the key areas of pet accessories and food markets, and with our reliable, efficient and friendly approach we are committed to helping you meet your customer’s needs.

The company was granted the royal warrant as pet food manufacturer to Queen Elizabeth II.

Our policies

We operate a number of internal policies to ensure that we are conducting business in an ethical and transparent manner. These include:

1. Anti-slavery policy. This policy sets out the organisation’s stance on modern slavery and explains how employees can identify any instances of this and where they can go for help.
2. Recruitment policy. We operate a robust recruitment policy, including conducting eligibility to work in the UK checks for all employees to safeguard against human trafficking or individuals being forced to work against their will.
3. Whistleblowing policy. We operate a whistleblowing policy so that all employees know that they can raise concerns about how colleagues are being treated, or practices within our business or supply chain, without fear of reprisals.
4. Code of business conduct. This code explains the manner in which we behave as an organisation and how we expect our employees and suppliers to act.
5. Ethical Policies. This includes freedom of employment, safe and hygienic working conditions, no child labour and anti- discrimination policies. Armitage Pet Care has ethics at its heart. We work hard to ensure our people, consumers, customers, and suppliers are treated fairly and that our products are produced to the highest standards.

Our suppliers

Armitage Pet Products operates a supplier policy and maintains a preferred supplier list. We conduct due diligence on all suppliers before allowing them to become a preferred supplier. This due diligence includes an online search to ensure that particular organisation has never been convicted of offenses relating to modern slavery [and on-site audits which include a review of working conditions]. We encourage our suppliers to attain the highest international accredited standards Our anti-slavery policy forms part of our contract with all suppliers and they are required to confirm that no part of their business operations contradicts this policy.

In addition to the above, as part of our contract with suppliers, we require that they confirm to us that:

1. They have taken steps to eradicate modern slavery within their business
2. They hold their own suppliers to account over modern slavery
3. (For UK based suppliers) They pay their employees at least the national minimum wage / national living wage (as appropriate)
4. (For international suppliers) They pay their employees any prevailing minimum wage applicable within their country of operations
5. We may terminate the contract at any time should any instances of modern slavery come to light.

Training

We regularly conduct training for our procurement/buying teams so that they understand the signs of modern slavery and what to do if they suspect that it is taking place within our supply chain.

Our performance indicators

We will know the effectiveness of the steps that we are taking to ensure that slavery and/or human trafficking is not taking place within our business or supply chain if:

1. No reports are received from employees, the public, or law enforcement agencies to indicate that modern slavery practices have been identified
2. Regular audit by international accredited bodies

COVID-19

We understand that some workers may be more vulnerable to modern slavery during the coronavirus pandemic. Armitage Pet Care adopted Covid-19 safe workplaces in line with government guidelines that were duly communicated to our employees in an accessible format with regular updates. We have also communicated with our employees about best practices on working from home and regular support being available from their respective managers if necessary to safeguard their wellbeing.

Approval for this statement

This statement was approved by the CEO, Mark Andrews – 02.08.2021