McDonald's Recommends Phasing Out Sow Gestation Crates
McDonald's Recommends Phasing Out Sow Gestation Crates
U.S. fast-food chain McDonald's announced on February 13 that it will recommend that American pork suppliers gradually stop using sow gestation crates, and has asked U.S. pork suppliers to submit specific plans on the matter by May. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) commented that McDonald's move will bring an "earthquake-like impact" to the U.S. pig-farming industry.
Dan Gorsky, McDonald's vice president in charge of supply chain for North America, said in a statement that metal gestation crates are "not a sustainable production system," and that McDonald's will work with suppliers to develop a plan to phase out gestation crates, with further measures to be discussed in May this year.
Gorsky said: "We believe that some alternatives can provide more welfare for sows."
Generally speaking, when a sow is pregnant she must enter a gestation crate and stay there until the piglets are weaned. The gestation crate is not large, and the sow cannot move freely inside it. According to PETA, 70% of pig farms across the United States use gestation crates, and this type of housing is banned in the European Union as well as in 8 U.S. states including California, Ohio and Michigan.
In addition to McDonald's, chain fast-food companies such as Burger King and Hardee's have previously asked pork suppliers to stop using gestation crates.
In addition, U.S. companies Smithfield Foods and Hormel Foods have required their farms to stop using gestation crates starting in 2017. Cargill said it has already widely adopted group housing for pregnant sows.
In the United States, more and more people are gradually realizing that animals on farms should be treated well.
Wayne Pacelle, president of PETA's U.S. branch, said that considering McDonald's enormous purchasing power, this fast-food company's move to recommend that pork suppliers stop using gestation crates will have a "catalytic" effect on the industry. "McDonald's is the largest pork buyer in the fast-food industry and also the world's largest restaurant chain, and this move will have an earthquake-like impact on the pork production industry."
According to data provided by the U.S. National Pork Producers Council, the U.S. pork industry has an annual output value of 21 billion U.S. dollars. McDonald's is one of the largest buyers of pork products in the United States, consuming about 1% of the nation's output.
Nathan Runkle, director of the U.S. nonprofit animal protection organization Mercy For Animals, said he hopes McDonald's move can serve as a model for other farming operations
to follow, such as chicken farms. "They have the ability to drive the entire industry and set an example for other food suppliers." McDonald's plans to discuss feasible plans for gradually phasing out gestation crates together with suppliers.
The U.S. National Pork Board, which represents the interests of the pork production industry, said that gestation crates are a "traditional farming method," and that alternatives such as open pens "have pros and cons, and which farming method to use must be decided by the farmers themselves."
Some supporters of using gestation crates believe that gestation crates can protect piglets from being crushed or bumped in the first few days after birth.
■ Related Links
Ignoring Animal Welfare Will Affect Production Efficiency
Although our country is a major pig-farming country with a long history of pig farming, the concepts of feeding and management are relatively backward. In particular, many small-scale, scattered pig farms neither pay attention to environmental conditions, nor carry out scientific feeding and management, and even less consider animal welfare requirements, resulting in low production levels, low economic efficiency, and damage to the animals' bodies.
kxyzw.com news: In recent years, with the continuous development of intensive pig farming in our country, some producers one-sidedly pursue high production and high efficiency in intensive pig farming. Pig farms mainly adopt indoor pen feeding and stall-feeding process models. This model mostly uses facilities such as pens, tethers, cage racks for restriction, and slatted floors. The stocking density and degree of intensification are relatively high. Although it helps facilitate management and reduce costs, it often ignores the welfare of pigs. During the feeding process, often due to insufficient space and poor feeding environment, pigs lack places or opportunities for movement, play, and social activities among their own kind, which violates the biological and behavioral characteristics of pigs. It is difficult for the pigs' physiological functions, behavior, habits, and the environment to coordinate, thus leading to psychological repression, causing pigs to vent through some abnormal behaviors, such as tail biting, biting fences, vacuum chewing, excessive grooming, pica, repetitive stereotyped movements, and self-mutilation. This affects the productivity of pigs, leads to a decline in disease resistance, and further reduces pork quality.
In addition, driven by weak safety awareness and profit, some pig farms misuse and abuse various additives. To promote pig growth, they use large amounts of antibiotics for long periods, leading to a series of problems such as antibiotic resistance in pigs and drug residues in pork.
Dan Gorsky, McDonald's vice president in charge of supply chain for North America, said in a statement that metal gestation crates are "not a sustainable production system," and that McDonald's will work with suppliers to develop a plan to phase out gestation crates, with further measures to be discussed in May this year.
Gorsky said: "We believe that some alternatives can provide more welfare for sows."
Generally speaking, when a sow is pregnant she must enter a gestation crate and stay there until the piglets are weaned. The gestation crate is not large, and the sow cannot move freely inside it. According to PETA, 70% of pig farms across the United States use gestation crates, and this type of housing is banned in the European Union as well as in 8 U.S. states including California, Ohio and Michigan.
In addition to McDonald's, chain fast-food companies such as Burger King and Hardee's have previously asked pork suppliers to stop using gestation crates.
In addition, U.S. companies Smithfield Foods and Hormel Foods have required their farms to stop using gestation crates starting in 2017. Cargill said it has already widely adopted group housing for pregnant sows.
In the United States, more and more people are gradually realizing that animals on farms should be treated well.
Wayne Pacelle, president of PETA's U.S. branch, said that considering McDonald's enormous purchasing power, this fast-food company's move to recommend that pork suppliers stop using gestation crates will have a "catalytic" effect on the industry. "McDonald's is the largest pork buyer in the fast-food industry and also the world's largest restaurant chain, and this move will have an earthquake-like impact on the pork production industry."
According to data provided by the U.S. National Pork Producers Council, the U.S. pork industry has an annual output value of 21 billion U.S. dollars. McDonald's is one of the largest buyers of pork products in the United States, consuming about 1% of the nation's output.
Nathan Runkle, director of the U.S. nonprofit animal protection organization Mercy For Animals, said he hopes McDonald's move can serve as a model for other farming operations
to follow, such as chicken farms. "They have the ability to drive the entire industry and set an example for other food suppliers." McDonald's plans to discuss feasible plans for gradually phasing out gestation crates together with suppliers.
The U.S. National Pork Board, which represents the interests of the pork production industry, said that gestation crates are a "traditional farming method," and that alternatives such as open pens "have pros and cons, and which farming method to use must be decided by the farmers themselves."
Some supporters of using gestation crates believe that gestation crates can protect piglets from being crushed or bumped in the first few days after birth.
■ Related Links
Ignoring Animal Welfare Will Affect Production Efficiency
Although our country is a major pig-farming country with a long history of pig farming, the concepts of feeding and management are relatively backward. In particular, many small-scale, scattered pig farms neither pay attention to environmental conditions, nor carry out scientific feeding and management, and even less consider animal welfare requirements, resulting in low production levels, low economic efficiency, and damage to the animals' bodies.
kxyzw.com news: In recent years, with the continuous development of intensive pig farming in our country, some producers one-sidedly pursue high production and high efficiency in intensive pig farming. Pig farms mainly adopt indoor pen feeding and stall-feeding process models. This model mostly uses facilities such as pens, tethers, cage racks for restriction, and slatted floors. The stocking density and degree of intensification are relatively high. Although it helps facilitate management and reduce costs, it often ignores the welfare of pigs. During the feeding process, often due to insufficient space and poor feeding environment, pigs lack places or opportunities for movement, play, and social activities among their own kind, which violates the biological and behavioral characteristics of pigs. It is difficult for the pigs' physiological functions, behavior, habits, and the environment to coordinate, thus leading to psychological repression, causing pigs to vent through some abnormal behaviors, such as tail biting, biting fences, vacuum chewing, excessive grooming, pica, repetitive stereotyped movements, and self-mutilation. This affects the productivity of pigs, leads to a decline in disease resistance, and further reduces pork quality.
In addition, driven by weak safety awareness and profit, some pig farms misuse and abuse various additives. To promote pig growth, they use large amounts of antibiotics for long periods, leading to a series of problems such as antibiotic resistance in pigs and drug residues in pork.