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Berwick-upon-Tweed
7°C
11:51
INTRODUCTION
This Act noted that slavery and human trafficking remains a hidden blight on our global society. We all have a responsibility to be alert to the risks, however small, in our business and in the wider supply chain. This Act requires businesses of a certain size to produce an annual statement setting out the steps they have taken to ensure there is no modern slavery in their own business and their supply chains. The measure is designed to create a level playing field between those businesses, which act responsibly and those that need to change their policies and practices.
OUR BUSINESS
Simpsons Malt is a manufacturer of malt, primarily for the food and drink sector and an agricultural merchant operating under the trading name of McCreath Simpson & Prentice.
Simpsons Malt has its head office in Berwick-upon-Tweed and all trading outlets are in the UK, though we export product via appointed overseas agents.
OUR SUPPLY CHAINS
Our supply chain includes the sourcing of raw materials principally related to the provision of malt for the food and drink industries and is typically a UK based supply chain.
OUR POLICIES/ACTIONS ON SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING
We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery, or human trafficking, in our supply chains, or in any part of our business. Our compliance with this Act reflects our commitment to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure this in our own business and spreading the message to our supply chain.
Delivering on this commitment has been allocated as a specific responsibility of Shared Services Director Malcolm Brown and McCreath Simpson & Prentice Merchanting Director Andy Hindhaugh.
Our business conforms to all the relevant UK employment legislation and our employment policies reflect that. We are also a member of SEDEX (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange), via which we independently audit our employment policies and practices against the Ethical Trading Initiative Base code standards. In 2023 we carried out a Right To Work review for every employee in the business to ensure the correct documentation was in place.
In 2023, we carried out a Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, Farm Sustainability Assessment reverification programme with our first cohort of our malting barley supply chain suppliers. Part of the assessment looks at employment conditions to ensure legal obligations are being met. The cohort of more than 400 farms were accredited with 91% Gold status for their practices. We will be expanding this to our Wheat Growers in 2024. Our Supplier Code Of Conduct, which calls out adherence to this act as a requirement of business, is issued to all new Suppliers.
SUPPLIER ADHERENCE TO OUR VALUES
We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking. We expect all those in our supply chain to comply with our values. No suggestions have been received of poor practice by our supplier base around this issue.
GOVERNANCE & REVIEW
This statement detailing our approach to the Modern Slavery Act in its sixth year has gone to the Executive Board in April 2024 and a review of activity will continue to occur annually.
On behalf of the Board
Malcolm Brown
Shared Services Director
April 2024