Standard Life drops intensive farming

23 November 1999



Standard Life drops intensive farming

STANDARD LIFEs ethical investors have dropped four intensive farming businesses, including the poultry processor, Bernard Matthews.

The life assurance giant said that investors in its two ethical funds, the Ethical Pension Fund and the UK Ethical Fund, had expressed strong concern about intensive farming methods such as fish farming and battery hens.

Surprisingly, its ethical investors were not unduly concerned by genetically modified foods.

In its annual poll of its ethical investors, more than 90% of respondents agreed that Standard Life should extend its existing investment screening criteria for animal testing to include intensive farming.

• The Scotsman 23/11/99 page 21