At Virbac, the health of animals is at the heart of our concerns. This commitment is reflected in our constant search for quality, efficiency and safety in the development, manufacture and marketing of our products. It is also based on our core values of integrity, respect and compliance with all laws, regulations and ethical standards applicable to our activities. These values inform our daily decisions and actions to conduct our business responsibly, ensuring the performance and sustainability of our business, and the trust of all our stakeholders – our employees, partners, customers and investors – with whom we interact.

As an international company, we are aware of our responsibilities, particularly on the ethical and integrity aspects in the conduct of our business necessary for the confidence, competitiveness, and sustainable development of our activities. Working with or for Virbac means acting in line with shared values and committing to comply with the laws and regulations applicable in the countries in which we operate. 

To safeguard this corporate culture within our Group and in our value chain, in 2021 we created the Group Legal Compliance department, which, since 2023, has been attached to the general management to address integrity topics such as the anticorruption program, and also other structuring programs such as the protection of personal data, compliance with international sanctions measures and future regulations such as the duty of vigilance.

In line with our purpose and as an international company committed to a responsible approach, the management has developed a global program, everyday compliance, which is reflected in clear commitments that can be consulted on our website in the Ethics & Compliance section.

PERFORMANCE RELATED TO CORPORATE CULTURE

Each of us shapes our culture through our words and actions. Our common desire is to build a corporate culture that fosters trust by including more diversity, a culture in which every employee can express the best of themselves. Our company’s longevity is first and foremost based on the trust between us and our customers and partners. To establish it and ensure it is sustainable, we must make responsible choices. In this context and to strengthen our global Everyday compliance approach, we have deployed the ABAC (Anti-bribery and Anti-corruption) program, which aims to combat and prevent corruption, bribes and influence peddling.

Our key commitments:

• prevention and detection of corruption and bribery;
• detection of corruption and influence peddling.

PERFORMANCE RELATED TO CORRUPTION PRACTICES

The relationship with our suppliers are long-standing, and characterized by regular exchanges, favoring proximity with suppliers on their premises. Our policies and tools ensure responsible purchasing practices, consistent with the Group’s guiding principles: business partner charter, assessment questionnaires incorporating CSR criteria, targeted audits, etc. At each call for tenders and for the main suppliers, we administer a questionnaire assessing their compliance with the environmental and social standards in force. Since 2015, new framework contracts have included a provision requiring compliance with these standards. In 2024, our assessment process carried out with new suppliers did not identify any risks in the area. If we were to identify a non-compliant supplier, we would require it to comply or risk terminating its contract. 

PERFORMANCE RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF RELATIONSHIPS WITH SUPPLIERS

Virbac stakeholders (customers, veterinarians, farmers, employees, etc.) are mindful of the impact of our products on the entire value chain. This is why we conduct our innovation approach and our operations within a strong ethical framework, promoting as much as possible in vitro testing and associating our various partners and stakeholders: suppliers, supervisory authorities, professional associations, etc.

STUDIES ON ANIMALS

For the evaluation of our products in development or before marketing, our first approach is always to use methods that do not involve animal studies: bibliographical research, in vitro studies, computer modeling, etc. In some cases, when no recognized or adapted alternative method is possible, then animal studies of a necessary nature are conducted in accordance with applicable pharmaceutical rules and regulations.

GOVERNANCE

General management defines the strategic areas of focus regarding resources for conducting animal studies and the development of alternative methods. These areas are defined by the Corporate Animal Ethics department in the form of policies, action plans and control processes; this department is also responsible for promoting and ensuring compliance with ethics and animal welfare within the Group and among its partners.

PERFORMANCE RELATED TO ANIMAL WELFARE