MCLEAN Natro Farms

MCLEAN sources 1 farm at a time. The relationship between producer and processor is an important one that involves trust and a shared set of values.

The MCLEAN NATRO brand represents products made with meat that is free of antibiotics (beef is hormone free) and produced according to our animal welfare criteria. Some of our product labels carry the SPCA Certified logo. This means that the meat used in these products came from Canadian farms that passed the SPCA standards for animal welfare. 

We select NATRO farms based on the following criteria:

1)       CANADIAN: We do not buy our meat from other Countries. We support a 'buy local' philosophy. Canada is rich in agriculture and many of today's farmers, especially pork and beef producers, face challenges with export restrictions to the US and more competing meat products imported from the US and other countries.

2)       CLOSER TO HOME:  MCLEAN contracts a plant in British Columbia and a plant in Alberta. Our priority is to work with Western Canadian farms in order to minimize our carbon foot print.

3)       NO ANIMAL BI-PRODUCTS: Under no circumstances will we accept meat that was produced using feed that contained animal bi-products. All farms must use 100% vegetarian feed. Where possible we request a letter from the producer or a vet to substantiate this claim.

4)       NO GROWTH HORMONES: Under no circumstances will we accept beef that was produced by adding growth hormones to the animal's diet. Where possible we request a letter from the producer or a vet to substantiate the no hormone claim. Growth hormones are not permitted to be added to pork or chicken in Canada.

5)       CONTROLED USE OF ANTIBIOTICS: Antibiotics may only be used during the gestation period or limited use after weaning. No antibiotics are permitted during the completion stage. Animals that require medication must be isolated and treated. Animals that receive antibiotics are then segregated and sold in the market place as conventional, and do not receive the claim 'antibiotic-free'. Under no circumstances are mass antibiotics injected into the central water source for the animals. Where possible we request a letter from the producer or a vet to substantiate this claim.

6)       HUMANE TREATMENT TO ANIMALS: Raising animals in a humane, or closer-to-nature environment, is not an exact science. In Canada, all animals are expected to be treated humanely. However, each region, province and each animal type offer challenges that are not black and white. In order to find solutions that are attainable, we look at each individual farm as a unique situation and work on finding solutions that meet our animal welfare criteria. Our criteria stipulates that animals are not penned in cages and that they have room to move, groom, socialize and sleep.

      Although a farm may be practicing these standards, we continue to look at ways to improve animal welfare standards through recognized accreditation programs.  Our ultimate goal is that all MCLEAN NATRO farms are registered under the Canadian SPCA Certified Program.