Goodricke's response to allegations of abuses in its tea supply chain
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Can you confirm whether the named estate remains part of your supply chain?
Response: Yes, Meenglas TG is a part of Goodricke Group Limited.
Were you previously aware of this incident?
Response: Yes, the incident occurred on 17/07/2022 and we were aware of the same.
How does Goodricke plan to respond to this report (including any plans to investigate or remedy the issue)?
Response: ...Since Meenglas TG is in close proximity to forest areas that is habitat to wild life and forms a high value natural ecosystem, protected by Wild Life protection Laws and Environmental Laws, the Management of Meenglas TG has deployed a Quick Response Team (trained personnel) to detect and report any incident of wild life straying into human habitation areas within the Tea Garden in order to prevent Man-Animal conflicts. With respect to the incident of 17th July 2022, trained personnel of Meenglas TG immediately reported the incident of Bisons straying into its areas to the Wild Life Squad of the jurisdictional Forest Range Office resulting in a quick response from the squad. The Wild Life Squad managed to chase the bisons away from the Tea Garden. The injured were taken to the Hospital and the best medical care and attention was provided.
How does Goodricke ensure that tea suppliers have in place adequate risk assessments and health and safety measures to mitigate workplace risks and protect workers from harm?
Response: Since, Meenglas TG is situated in close proximity to a Forest Area that forms a High Value Natural Eco System of Forests and natural habitat to many wild life, the Garden has made adequate Risk Assessments to prevent the possibilities of depredation by wild life from adjoining Forest Areas and to that end has deployed a Quick Response Team of trained personnel who are on regular recce rounds on the periphery of the Tea Garden to detect and report sightings of wild life. The Tea Garden also maintains regular communication with the Wild Life Squad of the Govt. Forest Department which conducts regular patrolling of the vulnerable areas identified through the process of Risk Assessment. Resident population of Meenglas TG have also been trained through awareness camps conducted by domain experts from the Forest/Wild Life Department, with a view to ensure that workers are fully protected from harm or injury at all times. In the unlikely event of any injury to any of our workers, we are fully equipped with a hospital infrastructure manned by qualified and trained medical and para-medical personnel to render the best medical attention and treatment...
[The full response is attached]