Social Compliance

Social Compliance Policy

Caviness Beef Packers has been operations since 1962 and is led by 2nd and 3rd generation members of the Caviness family. Our operations have grown from harvesting a handful of cattle to processing approximately 2,800 head of cattle per day at our Hereford Plant. We currently operate three beef processing plants, two in Texas and one in Idaho. Our plants range from harvest, fabrication, and rendering to ground beef and patty processing. We produce safe, high-quality beef for consumers.

At Caviness Beef Packers, we work closely with our customers, employees, and suppliers to achieve the highest quality products possible. We are committed to exceed customer expectations. We are committed towards integrity, honesty, sincerity, high ethics and moral standards. Our culture is committed to individual growth, family friendly work environment, and customer satisfaction.

At Caviness Beef Packers, we believe that our success is built on a foundation of personal and professional integrity. We understand the challenge of ensuring high social, ethical and environmental standards within our business and throughout our supply chain and are committed to working collaboratively with our suppliers to ensure that that these standards continually improve.

This Policy defines Caviness Beef Packer’s minimum standards, along with the basic principles we expect from all our Suppliers and Contractors. We are committed to ensuring that the standards outlined in the policy are effectively implemented, measured and monitored throughout our global supply chain and we require the support of our suppliers to achieve this goal. Caviness Beef Packer’s management consider this policy important to the organization our contractors, our sub-contractors, and our suppliers. We are also committed to aligning our Company practices with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

This policy communicates our values and expectations and emphasizes the importance of responsible workplace policies and practices, which generally comply, at a minimum, with applicable occupational health and safety, environmental and labor laws and regulations. The standards outlined below reflect the values we uphold in our own policies, and we expect our vendors and suppliers to follow these standards and requirements:

WOMAN WORKING

TWO MEN WORKING

man working

Employment

  • There is no forced, bonded, indentured or involuntary prison labor.
  • Workers are not required to pay fees or lodge “deposits” or original identity papers with their employer and are free to leave their employer on an at-will basis.

Freedom of Association

  • The freedom of association is respected.
  • We are compliant with all federal, state, and local laws that are related to freedom of association.

Working Conditions

  • A safe and hygienic working environment shall be provided, bearing in mind the prevailing knowledge of the industry and of any specific hazards. Adequate steps shall be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, associated with, or occurring in the course of work, by minimizing, so far as is reasonably practicable, the causes of hazards inherent in the working environment.
  • Applicable occupational Health and Safety regulations will be adhered to, and a working environment which is safe and conducive to good health shall be provided. Workers shall receive regular and recorded health and safety training and such training shall be repeated for new or reassigned workers.
  • Access to clean toilet facilities and to potable water, and, if appropriate, sanitary facilities for food storage shall be provided.
  • Accommodation, where provided, shall be clean, safe and meet the basic needs of the
  • Responsibility for health and safety shall be assigned to a senior management staff.

Child Labor

  • Caviness Beef Packers does not engage in or support the use of child
  • Employees must be 18 years of age to work at any of our facilities. Suppliers and Contractors must not recruit child (“Child Labor” is defined as workers under the age of 15, or 14 in certain developing countries. No hazardous work may be carried out by anyone under the age of 18).
  • Suppliers and Contractors must maintain formal documentation that verifies the age of each
  • If children are found to be working directly for the supplier, they shall seek a sensitive and satisfactory solution that puts the best interests of the child first.
  • Children and young persons under 18 shall not be employed at night or in hazardous

Fair Wages

  • Wages and benefits paid for a standard working week meet, at a minimum, national legal standards or industry benchmark standards.
  • All workers shall be provided with written and understandable information about their employment conditions in respect to wages before they enter employment and about the particulars of their wages for the pay period concerned each time that they are paid.
  • Wages shall be paid directly to the workers, weekly and in
  • Overtime must be paid at the required overtime rate, at a minimum compliant with national legislation.
  • Deductions from wages as a disciplinary measure shall not be permitted nor shall any deductions from wages not provided for by national law be permitted without the expressed permission of the worker concerned.

Working Hours

  • Working hours comply with national laws and benchmark industry standards, whichever affords greater protection.
  • Comply with applicable wage and hour and benefits laws relative to the industry and/or local labor

Non-Discrimination

  • Suppliers and Contractors must comply fully with local laws regarding equality of employment opportunities.
  • There is no discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, nationality, origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

Regular Employment

  • To every extent possible, work performed must be on the basis of recognized employment relationship established through national law and practice.
  • Obligations to employees under labor or social security laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship shall not be avoided through the use of labor-only contracting, subcontracting, or home-working arrangements, or through apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to impart skills or provide regular employment, nor shall any such obligations be avoided through the excessive use of fixed-term contracts of
  • All workers must receive the same rights, benefits and opportunities as other workers performing similar activities.

Harsh or Inhumane Treatment

  • Physical abuse or discipline, the threat of physical abuse, sexual or other harassment and verbal abuse or other forms of intimidation of anyone is prohibited.
  • All disciplinary actions must be recorded and be fair, proportionate and fully compliant with local laws.
  • Our employees, suppliers and contractors will have access to confidential means of reporting inhumane treatment and workplace grievances. Human Resources will be the designated collection location for workplace grievances and anonymous complaints.
  • We require annual training for employees on harassment and discrimination.
  • We do annual employee surveys to assess employee satisfaction and engagement.

Environmental Responsibility

  • Conduct business in compliance with all applicable environmental laws, rules and Waste is minimized and items recycled wherever this is practicable. Effective controls of waste in respect of ground, air and water pollution are adopted. In the case of hazardous materials, emergency response plans are in place.
  • In respect of packaging and paper, undue and unnecessary use of materials is avoided, and recycled materials are used whenever appropriate
  • In respect of energy use, all production and delivery processes, including the use of heating, ventilation, lighting, IT systems and transportation, are based on the need to maximize efficient energy use and to minimize harmful emissions.
  • Our sustainability program addresses our commitment to environmental protection.

Business Ethics and Integrity

  • We strive to provide a workplace free of bribery and corruption by complying with all applicable laws relating to bribery, money laundering and/or corruption as well as prohibiting the exchange of money or anything else of value to or from anyone (including government officials) to influence actions or obtain an improper advantage.
  • We conduct our business with integrity, honesty, and transparency, and we expect the same from our employees, suppliers, and business partners.
  • We maintain accurate records and financial reporting in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
  • Our code of contact policy is included in our employee policies and procedures or suppliers to follow our policy.

Supply Chain Responsibility

  • We expect our suppliers and business partners to adhere to the same social compliance standards that we follow.

Caviness Beef Packers Suppliers:

  • We expect our suppliers to comply with this Policy and all applicable laws in the countries in which they
  • We expect our suppliers to communicate their own Social Compliance Policies to all employees, suppliers, sub-contractors, home workers and temporary and contract workers engaged in their supply chain.
  • We expect the conduct of our suppliers to not violate the basic rights of Caviness Beef Packers.

Continuous Improvement

  • The Company commits to an annual review this policy in order to continually improve, taking into consideration changes in legislation, and any other requirements to which the Company subscribes, and in order to ensure the adequacy, suitability and continuing effectiveness of the policy.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are committed to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace that accepts unique backgrounds, perspectives, and talents of our employees. We believe that creating an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered is crucial to our success.

We strive to provide equal access to opportunities, resources, and career development for all employees. We encourage a workplace culture that values merit, rewards performance, and acknowledges the unique contributions of each employee.

We support an inclusive work environment that encourages collaboration, open dialogue, and mutual respect. We believe that everyone should have a voice and the opportunity to participate fully in all aspects of our organization. We strive to create policies, practices, and spaces that are accessible, supportive, and free from discrimination, harassment, or bias.

We want our employees to have a “career”, not just a job. We are committed to an effort of continuous quality improvement. We understand our role as a leader in our community and our industry.

To sustain our current business and improve our employee’s work place experience we know that everyone has to do their part to make us the best and keep us the best. The information below is a snapshot of some of the efforts past, current, and future that we believe will keep us moving forward for the long term.

  • We offer a stable work environment of 40 hours per week.
  • The economic impact of our payroll as it cycles through the local economies is significant.
  • We want the communities in which we operated to grow and prosper.
  • We support our communities both monetarily and in person when possible.
  • Our ability to manage the risks associated with our industry has kept us viable long term.
  • We keep our plant clean and safe for our employees, customers, vendors and guest.

Implementation

  • Caviness Beef Packers is committed not only to comply with this Policy within its own business, but to working collaboratively with its Suppliers and Contractors to drive compliance throughout the supply chain. We will support our Suppliers and Contractors in achieving these objectives.
  • Caviness Beef Packers is committed to allocating the required resources in order to fully implement the Policy and monitor compliance throughout the Company.
  • Assign responsibility for the implementation of this Policy to a management representative.
  • Work collaboratively with our suppliers, supporting them in the improvement of social, ethical and environmental standards where required and appropriate.
  • Committed to full compliance with this Policy within our own business and to ensuring that all relevant employees are aware of our Social Compliance Policy.
  • Communicate this Policy on our website.
  • Communicate periodically to Caviness Beef Packers employees, management, suppliers the progress towards compliance with this Policy.
  • Periodically review this policy in order to continually improve, taking into consideration changes in legislation, and any other requirements to which the Company subscribes, and in order to ensure the adequacy, suitability and continuing effectiveness of the policy.
  • Cease trading with suppliers demonstrating a persistent disregard for this Policy while giving appropriate consideration to the impact this may have on the supplier and community in which they operate.
  • Our Social Compliance Policy is summarized in our employee policies and the original policy is maintained in the Human Resources Department.

Updated June 1, 2023