Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

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Introduction

E P Barrus Ltd is committed to ensuring acts of modern day slavery and human trafficking does not exist within its business and supply chains. The Company acknowledges responsibility to the Modern Slavery Act 2015 and will ensure transparency within the organisation and with suppliers of goods to the organisation.  We published our first Modern Slavery Statement in May 2016 and continue to review and update annually and it sets out the actions we have taken for the financial year ended 30 September 2024.

Our Business

We are an importer and distributor of garden machinery, tools and accessories, vehicle, marine engines and equipment, industrial engines and off grid power solutions developing partnerships with major international companies representing leading brands. We are also recognised worldwide as a leading custom-engine builder supplying direct to original equipment manufacturers.

Our Supply Chain

Our worldwide supply chain consists of:

• Finished Product Core suppliers serviced with distributor agreements
• Finished Product Non-core suppliers
• Consumable suppliers used in bespoke engineering applications

Our policies on slavery and human trafficking

We are committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chain or in any part of our business.  Our Anti-slavery statement 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 slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.

Due diligence processes for slavery and human trafficking

As part of our initiative to identify and migrate risk – 

• We build long standing relationships with core suppliers, serviced with distributor agreements.  Conduct and record regular supplier site visits and obtained suppliers own supply chain slavery and human trafficking statements.
• We regularly review, monitor and record non-core suppliers via site visits and vendor selection and assessment processes.  
• We regularly review consumable suppliers via vendor selection and assessment process and collect data on their internal policies and procedures.
• We make clear to all suppliers our expectations of business behaviour.   
• We have in place systems to encourage the reporting of concerns.
• We are committed to continually improve our processes and controls.

Supplier adherence to our values

We have zero tolerance to slavery and human trafficking.  We expect all our suppliers to adhere to the following principles to protect workers throughout our supply chain against any such abuse.

•  No use of voluntary or involuntary prison labour or other involuntary labour, slavery or human trafficking.
•  No child labour.
•  Workers must be employed, retained and compensated based on their ability to perform their jobs and must not be discriminated against gender, race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, disability, political opinions, or other protected characteristics.
•  No withholding of worker’s identity or immigration documents.
•  Ensure that all workers are treated with respect and human dignity and prohibit all forms of violence, physical abuse, harassment or intimidation.
•  Comply with local laws on working hours and time periods, with written employment contracts which are clear and accurate.
•  Workers’ pay must comply with applicable local laws, including in relation to minimum wage requirements.
•  Providing equal opportunities and diversity in the workplace.
•  Act at all times with openness, honesty and integrity in relation to audits, inspections and compliance enquiries made by us and any other inspection bodies.
•  Not engage in any form of bribery or corruption or offer or accept any bribes in relation to business dealing at any time in relation to Barrus, its employees, representatives, agents, contractors or any other third parties.

We expect all those in our supply chain to comply with our values.  

Training

To ensure a high level of understanding of the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking in our supply chain and our business, we provide training to relevant members of staff.  All Directors and Senior Managers have been briefed on the subject.

Our effectiveness in combating slavery and human trafficking

We use the following key performance indicators to measure how effective we have been to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any part of our business or supply chains:

• Completion of site visits and assessments.
• Annual audits and collation of data of vendor assessment forms completed by consumable suppliers.
• Use of labour monitoring and payroll systems.
• Level of communication and personal contact with supply chain to ensure their understanding of, and compliance with, our expectations. 
• Clear policy which sets out the expectation of workers in relation to dealing with or reporting modern slavery concerns.

Our actions taken to combating slavery and human trafficking and ongoing commitment

We have carried out, in person, several assessments and supplier site visits and reviewed all our core and non-core suppliers during the last financial year, we have not experienced any breaches of the supplier code related to modern slavery to date.  We understand that we have a responsibility to continue to assess and mitigate the risk of modern slavery throughout our business and supply chains.  As part of our ongoing work for the next financial year we will monitor the effectiveness of the actions we have already taken over the past 12 months.

 

This policy statement will be reviewed annually and published.

 

Signed on behalf of E P Barrus Ltd:

 

Graham Knox

Managing Director

 

Please click on the links below to download a signed PDF copy of our statements:-

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement  30.09.23

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement  30.09.22

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement  30.09.2024