Modern Slavery Act Compliance Statement
We will not work with any business or organisation which is involved in modern slavery.
Dodson & Horrell Ltd and the Oakes Millers Ltd Group recognise the important role that we have in ensuring that our operations and products, and the supply chains that support these, operate to the highest ethical standards. One key element that relates to this is the role that we have in the prevention and identification of modern slavery and human trafficking. This statement sets out our approach to understanding the risks associated with modern slavery and human trafficking in our own business and within our supporting supply chains, and details of the actions that we are taking which seek to eradicate or minimise these risks.
Business and Supply Chains – An Overview
Dodson & Horrell Ltd (part of Oakes Millers Ltd Group) are suppliers of top-quality horse and poultry feeds, serving customers across the United Kingdom and internationally.
Our Group’s supply Chain includes suppliers of raw materials, packaging and agency labour.
Most of our raw materials are sourced from UK based, assured suppliers. Where possible the materials are UK produced, however due to demand and accessibility some materials are of overseas origin. The small percentage of raw materials sourced from oversees are bought from suppliers in the EU.
All our packaging is sourced from UK based suppliers, however we recognise some of the products are made oversees.
We use temporary employees in the busy periods. We have a longstanding relationship with our recruitment agency, who is licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and has policies in place including considerations of The Modern Slavery Act.
Policies in relation to Slavery and Human Trafficking
We build our business on the basis of mutual trust and are committed to the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act. We have established our Corporate Social Accountability and Ethical Trading Code of Conduct which we communicate to all our Suppliers. It sets out our expectations regarding responsible and ethical employment practices. It is based on globally recognised codes and conventions.
We review this Code of Conduct annually and are satisfied that it covers the right to freely choose employment. We will continue to review and refine the Code of Conduct principles as the modern slavery prevention practices develop.
Due Diligence Process in relation to Human Trafficking in our Business and our Supply Chain.
We recognise that either direct or indirect employees operating in our own facilities are at potential risk of modern slavery / human trafficking.
The business has a low employee turnover and our employee base is very stable. We have recently refreshed our recruitment and induction systems in line with the protocols developed by Stronger Together & Responsible Recruitment Toolkit. As part of this initiative, we have participated in a modern slavery training run by Stronger Together. We also introduced ongoing checks designed to identify signs of modern slavery within our employee base. When recruiting we follow guidance from the Responsible Recruitment Toolkit and ask specific questions to identify modern slavery risks. Where we utilise agency labour, we use a recruitment agency with which we have a longstanding relationship, who is licensed by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and has policies in place including considerations of The Modern Slavery Act. Additionally, all agency staff are subject to our onsite induction and checks.
Training
Key employees have participated in a modern slavery training run by Stronger Together, and the process of reviewing responses to our Corporate Social Accountability and Ethical Trading Code of Conduct and other ethical audits has also been used as training tool for key employees.
Effectiveness in ensuring no slavery or human trafficking
As we continue to develop our approach in this area, we expect to assess our performance on modern slavery issues based on queries raised and issues identified as they arise.
This statement has been approved by the Board of Directors. It is reviewed annually.
Dot Gidge
Compliance & HR Manager
Last reviewed February 2024