Wendy’s cutting pork from farms with gestation stalls

Quick service restaurant chain Wendy’s is planning to phase out serving pork and bacon sourced from farms that use gestation stalls, the company recently announced. The company has set 2022 as its target to source only crate-free pork.
The move away from gestation stalls is part of the chain’s Supplier Code of Conduct, released on November 23.
Since its founding in 1969 by Dave Thomas, Wendy's has operated under a core set of values and has enjoyed long-standing, collaborative relationships with some of the food industry's leading suppliers. This Code of Conduct takes into account the current best practices and standards of Wendy's supply chain and also identifies future aspirations to encourage continuous improvement in a meaningful way.
"When Dave Thomas was eight-years-old he dreamed he'd run the best restaurant in the world," said Emil Brolick, Wendy’s president and CEO. "Under his leadership, Wendy's helped to lead the way to set and enforce standards for the humane care of animals raised for our food as part of a responsible, safe and sustainable food supply chain.  Additionally, because of Dave's commitment to quality, he only wanted the freshest ingredients; therefore, he created an infrastructure that has allowed us to serve beef that has never been frozen along with other fresh ingredients, like iceberg and romaine lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries in our more than 6,000 North American restaurants."

JBS SA phasing out gestation crates

Andrea Gantz
JBS SA will transition into group housing systems, with the investment in the transition being completed by 2016. 
Brazil-based meat and poultry processor JBS SA is phasing out the use of gestation crates, the company revealed in its annual sustainability report.
JBS SA, which is the parent company of Seara Brasil, stated that it will transition into group housing systems, with the investment in the transition being completed by 2016. The company further stated that all new units will adopt group housing systems for breeding sows and that their contract suppliers will also receive support from the company in the transition to group housing.
JBS SA’s move away from gestation crates has received the applause of animal welfare groups such as Humane Society International.
JBS SA is just one of many companies to implement a move away from gestation crates. Brazilian rival company BRF in late 2014 announced that it would phase out the housing practice over the next 12 years. Other major pork producers such as Smithfield Foods and Cargill have also moved away from the use of gestation crates.
The trend to move away from gestation crates has also been embraced by many pork processors’ major customers. Among companies to move to serving and selling crate-free pork in recent months include Walmart, Hilton Worldwide, Dunkin’ Donuts, Heinz, Nestlé and Roundy’s.

BRF to phase out gestation stalls

Brazil-based meat and poultry company BRF has entered a partnership with animal welfare organization World Animal Protection (WAP) to phase out the use of gestation stalls for its sows.
According to WAP, BRF has committed to phase out the use of stalls in favor of group housing over a twelve-year period. Once the transition is completed, the Brazilian company is expected to improve its global positioning as it pig production operations would be in line with European Union animal welfare standards.
The partnership between the company and the organization was announced at a recent roundtable event hosted by WAP with the intent of discussing animal welfare in the pig production industry in Brazil. The discussion brought together animal welfare experts, the Brazilian Ministry for Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA) and the University of São Paulo.
“We will be working together with BRF to provide technical support and monitor this progressive change,” WAP stated.
BRF ranks tenth worldwide among pork processors with 10 million head slaughtered annually. The company also ranks third in the world among pig producers, with 380,000 sows, according to the WATT Global Media Top Companies Database. The company is also a leading global poultry producer and processor.

New Jersey gestation crate bill vetoed by Gov. Chris Christie

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  Tim Larsen/State of New Jersey

  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that would outlaw the use of gestation crates in the state.

  From WATTAgNet:
  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has vetoed a bill that would outlaw the use of gestation crates in the state.  Christie’s veto of the bill has drawn praise from pig industry leaders and officials in Iowa, but criticism from some in his home state.
  The bill had bipartisan support in the New Jersey legislature, but Christie dismissed the bill, saying the legislation to ban gestation crates was a “solution in search of a problem.” There are only about 300 swine operations in New Jersey, most of which already do not use the crates.
  Christie, who vetoed a similar bill in 2013, stated that the crate issue should be left to experts on the New Jersey Board of Agriculture who better understand how the crates impact animal well-being instead of by elected officials who want to use the issue for political reasons.
  Critics believe the veto may have been done so Christie can gain favor in Iowa, the nation’s largest pork producing state, and also the home of the first presidential caucus. Christie has not officially declared his candidacy for the presidency, but his name has surfaced as a potential Republican nominee.
  Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, praised Christie for his willingness to listen to people outside of the animal rights activist community that are familiar with how the crates can actually improve animal welfare.
  “I give him credit for listening to and understanding that this is something we’re very concerned about and that does impact consumers as well because if these baby pigs are crushed and die, that means there are fewer pigs and that impacts the price of pork,” said Branstad.
  New Jersey  Sen. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat and animal rights activist, sponsored the bill. He said lawmakers will try to override the veto in 2015.

New Jersey gestation crate bill could impact presidential race

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  Tim Larsen/State of New Jersey

  Gov. Chris Christie is getting pressure from both opponents and proponents of a bill to ban gestation crates in New Jersey.

  From WATTAgNet:
  A bill to outlaw the use of gestation crates in New Jersey could have national implications if Gov. Chris Christie chooses to sign it into law.
  Christie has until early December to decide whether to sign a bill that would ban hog farmers in the state from using gestation crates. The bill has the overwhelming support of Republican and Democrat state lawmakers in New Jersey, which only has about 300 hog operations that don’t regularly use crates.
  If the bill is signed into law, it would not greatly impact the U.S. pork industry, it could have a national impact on the political scene. Christie is a potential Republican presidential candidate for the 2016 elections, and his decision is being watched closely by voters in Iowa, the largest pork producing state in the nation and the home of 2016’s first-in-the nation presidential caucuses.
  Christie has received pressure from Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, whose relationship he has carefully cultivated and who could prove a crucial ally in the early-voting state if Christie decides to run. Branstad, a Republican who won easy re-election November 4, is ardently opposed to the restrictions and has called Christie to urge him to reject the bill when an earlier version landed on his desk last year.
  “I called him to tell him how bad I thought it would be and how the people that are involved in pork production, that really understand this, feel this would be very bad,” said Branstad, who added that the crates provide protection to baby pigs that could be crushed by older pigs.

Heinz to phase out layer cages, gestation crates

Heinz has adopted a new set of animal welfare guidelines which will have the global food processor moving toward use of cage-free eggs and pork from crate-free sources.
Heinz moves toward cage-free eggs
Heinz in its new animal welfare program has committed to sourcing its eggs from cage-free hens as suppliers meet the company’s growing request for such eggs. Already using cage-free eggs in Heinz Mayonnaise in the UK, the company is expanding its use of cage-free eggs. Heinz stated it will continue to work with its egg suppliers to review and further understand the options and capabilities in cage-free sourcing going forward.
The company is also urging its stakeholders to work with major egg suppliers and users to bring down the costs of cage-free eggs, which are more expensive than other eggs.
Heinz and crate-free pork
Heinz stated that it supports efforts within the pork industry to move away from using gestation crates for pregnant sows. The company is currently working with its pork suppliers to understand and document their plans to reduce or end the use of gestation crates.
Heinz comments about animal welfare standards
“Heinz recognizes that many consumers have concerns about animal welfare and we take these concerns seriously,” the company stated on its website. “At Heinz we have always been committed to providing safe, wholesome and nourishing foods that enhance the lives and well-being of people everywhere – a philosophy that extends throughout our supply chain, and in particular in our approach to animal welfare. As with all ingredients, the primary concerns for Heinz are safety and quality, and we set strict buying specifications in order to meet these requirements. At Heinz, the provenance of our ingredients is important to us. We have a long-standing history of ensuring traceability in our agricultural supply chain, and we share best practices across our global business. We keep our meat supply chain as short as we can in order to maintain the best possible levels of ingredient traceability.”
Heinz brands include TGI Friday's, Bagel Bites, Ore-Ida and Classico.

Gestation stall ban bill dies in Massachusetts

A bill that would have prohibited the use of gestation stalls failed to advance in the Massachusetts Legislature. The proposed legislation had been approved by the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, but was held in the Senate Ways and Means Committee and was not brought up in the full House before the legislature ended its formal session.
The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) was pleased with the bill’s fate, and thanked the legislature for not furthering what it referred to as a misguided bill that would have restricted the rights of the state’s farmers.
Hog farmers use gestation stalls for pregnant sows because they allow for individualized care and eliminate aggression from other sows. The Massachusetts bill, supported by animal rights organizations, would have banned the practice, as well as limited other practices farmers use to care for their animals, NPPC stated.
“Massachusetts family farmers are relieved the legislature had the good sense not to waste time debating a law prohibiting farmers’ choices in taking care of their animals,” said Lisa Colby, an NPPC member and hog farmer from Newburyport, Massachusetts.
“It is unfortunate these organizations insist on wasting lawmakers’ time – and their donors’ contributions – on so many failed attempts to deny farmers’ right to farm,” Colby added. “No two farms are alike, and we thank the legislature for realizing that farmers should have the freedom to operate in the best way for their farm and for their animals.”
A similar gestation stall ban bill failed to pass in the Connecticut Legislature in May.

Roundy’s to eliminate sow gestation crates by 2022

Roundy's Inc., a Midwest grocery store chain in the United States, announced it is working closely with its pork suppliers to phase out pig gestation crates from its supply chain by 2022.
"Roundy's believes animals can and should be raised, transported and processed using procedures that are free from cruelty and neglect. We stand committed to the highest standards of animal well-being and, in the coming months, we will begin working with our partners to eliminate gestation crate housing from our supply chain," says Donald G. Fitzgerald, Group Vice President-Merchandising and Procurement for Roundy's. "We recognize that this is an important issue for our customers and we will continue to enhance company policies based on the latest scientific research and societal concerns."

Canada set to ban gestation crates for breeding pigs

Canadian pigs would no longer be confined perpetually in gestation crates during pregnancy under a proposal released for public comment by Canada's National Farm Animal Care Council. The draft proposes eliminating the confinement of breeding pigs in gestation crates-cages roughly the same size as the animals' bodies.
Canada's move follows a European Union ban on continuous gestation crate confinement that went into effect in January 2013, legislation banning gestation crates in nine U.S. states, and public commitments from more than 50 of North America's largest pork buyers and producers-McDonald's, Burger King, Costco, Oscar Mayer, Kroger, Smithfield Foods, Hormel Foods and dozens more-to eliminate gestation crates from their supply chains and operations.
The new draft of the Code of Practice will be up for confirmation by the council in 60 days. As the code is currently written, the construction of new gestation crate operations throughout Canada would be prohibited beginning in 2014, and producers would have to replace existing gestation crates with group housing by 2024
Gestation crates, currently standard in pork production, have come under fire from veterinarians, family farmers, animal welfare advocates, legislators, scientists, consumers and food retailers. A recent national poll in Canada showed that 84 percent of Canadians support a complete phase out of the gestation crate confinement system. The poll was conducted by Environics Research Group between May 9 and May 18
"While Canada, the European Union, virtually every major global food retailer and many of the largest pork producers are taking steps to ensure that gestation crates are relegated to the dustbin of history, some U.S. pork industry leaders inexplicably continue to defend this cruel confinement," said Paul Shapiro, vice president of farm animal protection for The HSUS. "We hope The National Pork Board and National Pork Producers Council will shift gears by helping their industry make the transition to higher animal welfare systems that allow pigs to move."

SmithField Foods transitioned 38 percent of its US sows to open housing in 2012

By the end of 2012 Smithfield Foods transitioned 38 percent of pregnant sows on its company-owned hog farms in the U.S. from gestation stalls to group housing systems. The world’s largest pork processor and hog producer is on track to completely phase out individual gestation stalls in the U.S. by 2017.
In addition, Smithfield’s international hog production operations will complete their conversions from gestation stalls to group sow housing for its company-owned farms by 2022. Smithfield's hog production operations in Poland (AgriPlus) and Romania (Smithfield Ferme) completed their conversions to group sow housing on company-owned farms a number of years ago. The company's Granjas Carroll de Mexico (GCM) and Norson joint ventures in Mexico are phasing out gestation stalls on company-owned farms by 2022.
Smithfield announced, in 2007 its decision to convert to group housing for pregnant sows on all company-owned U.S. farms based on input from customers.

Aramark to eliminate pork from gestation crate-bred animals

Aramark has announced that it plans to eliminate all pork from animals bred using gestation crates in its U.S. supply chain by 2017.
Aramark and the Humane Society of the United States have been collaborating to put in place a plan that would address gestation crate issues by working with the company’s suppliers to eliminate the utilization of crates within their supply chains. To meet this goal, Aramark has asked its primary pork suppliers to develop plans for reducing, and then eliminating, gestation crates. In addition, Aramark will begin immediately to require new supplier contracts for pork to provide a plan that addresses how they will phase out gestation creates to meet these goals.