Canada’s duBreton to raise 300,000 more crate-free pigs

Quebec-based pork producer duBreton plans to raise 300,000 more pigs without the use of gestation stalls or traditional farrowing crates by 2018. The company is investing $30 million to implement these plans.
The first pork producer to apply for Humane Farm Animal Care’s (HFAC) Certified Humane Raised and Handled label, Dubreton in 2003 had two separate farm operations: a natural and organic pork operations, and commodity pork operations. The commody pork operations allowed gestation crates and farrowing stalls, but the natural and organic pork operations did not. However, according to HFAC, Vincent Breton, the president of duBreton pork, said he wanted to work toward eliminating crates from all of his operations.
"Compared to commodity or traditional farming practices, it costs us 50 percent more to raise Certified Humane pork and more than double to raise an organic pig," said Breton, third-generation president of duBreton. "The result is the highest quality pork possible, and as this translates into only a slight increase at retail. We believe it is well worth the cost to preserve the dignity and respect of the animals in our care. Obviously, consumers agree as demand is outpacing supply in many markets where we trade."

A family farming business, duBreton is the only major size pork producer in North America to be verified Certified Humane Raised and Handled, which promotes and encourages the highest standards of animal welfare.

New targeted vaccine could improve European pig welfare

A brand new vaccine, Hyogen, launched by global animal health company, Ceva Sante Animale will help to improve the welfare of European pigs. The vaccine, which protects against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, uses a unique field relevant strain and novel adjuvant that can boost innate and adaptive immunity. Respiratory diseases are still the biggest health issue for the swine industry worldwide with the associated loss of performance also having a major economic impact.

With 90 percent of swine farms worldwide affected by respiratory disease and an urgent need to preserve the future of antibiotics by reducing the previous practice of prophylactic use, the adoption of targeted, preventative health programs has become even more critical.

Hyogen provides superior protection against the respiratory infection caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae bacteria. The one shot application at weaning makes it easy to administer and as a killed bacterial vaccine combined with a potent adjuvant, it confers the longest protection of up to 26 weeks, throughout the entire fattening period. Not all vaccines currently available in Europe, are able to achieve this leaving pigs vitally exposed at critical times in the growth cycle.
Ceva began extensive in-field research of a practical tool to support use of the vaccine with the launch of the Ceva Lung Program in Asia two years ago and now in Europe. Respiratory experts developed the program, which was then simplified into practical guidelines and an easy-to-use iPad and Android app, which have made it much easier to evaluate the presence and impact of the main respiratory pathogens on farms and in the slaughterhouse. As a result, it is much easier to target vaccination according to individual herd requirements.
In some European countries, investigated herds had a 100 percent infection rate of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, this level of infection can prolong the time to slaughter weight by 5.6 days. Following its rapid rise into the top 3 global poultry vaccine and equipment suppliers, Ceva decided to concentrate its swine research on respiratory health, an area where it felt it could have most significant benefit for producers.

PETA sues Whole Foods, claims pork not humanely raised

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is filing a lawsuit against grocery chain Whole Foods Market, alleging the animals raised for the pork it sells are not treated as humanely as the company claims. The class-action lawsuit was filed on September 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
The animal rights organization and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, the legal firm representing PETA in the litigation, allege that Whole Foods is violating California consumer protection laws by misleading consumers into paying higher prices for meat from animals raised under more humane standards.
A PETA investigator went undercover at a farm in Pennsylvania operated by Sweet Stem Farm, which supplies pork to Whole Foods. PETA, which filmed a video that can be seen on its website, criticizes the farm operators and alleges they picked pigs up by their ears; kept them in crowded pens; failed to bring in a veterinarian to care for sick pigs; and kept the pigs in a trailer for more than 24 hours before being hauled to their destination.
Whole Foods, in a statement to Fortune, said it is aware that PETA had filed a suit, but the company had not yet been served. A company spokesman further stated: “It is important to remember that PETA’s mission is a total end to animal agriculture and animal meat consumption, and their claims against our business are generated with that specific goal in mind.”
Whole Foods Market has 429 stores in the United States, 10 stores in Canada and nine stores in the U.K., according to the company’s website.

Pig abuse video prompts firing of Seaboard Foods workers

• 

  Andrea Gantz

  Seaboard Foods has terminated 7 employees after animal abuse was caught on film at a company pig farm in Colorado.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Seaboard Foods has fired seven employees at a pig farm in Phillips County, Colorado, after an undercover video released by animal rights group Mercy for Animals depicted animal cruelty at the facility.
  The video, which showed workers hitting animals with boards and cans, was turned into the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office. The law enforcement agency then started an investigation and contacted the company, which is headquartered in Shawnee Mission, Kansas.
  “In the limited undercover video made available to us, we identified instances that depict improper handling while loading pigs on trucks, which does not adhere to Seaboard Foods’ training and best practices for moving pigs and ensuring they are comfortable and healthy so we can deliver safe, nutritious and delicious pork to our customers. As seen in the undercover video, the handling is unacceptable and inexcusable,” the company said in a statement.
  At the time the company’s statement was released, Seaboard Foods officials had not seen the entire video.
  While Seaboard Foods deplored the actions shown by its former employees, it was also critical of the tactics Mercy for Animals used.
  “We are disappointed the organization that made the complaint and took the undercover video, which purports to be concerned about animal welfare, did not report the allegations to us directly through our toll-free hotline as is required by any employee, especially after acknowledging Seaboard Foods’ comprehensive animal care program and commitment to the proper and humane treatment of animals and our zero-tolerance policy in the complaint to the Sheriff’s Office,” the company stated.
  Of the seven people terminated, two were management supervisors.

Pig welfare improvement reported in Denmark

Significant improvements in pig welfare in Denmark have been made over the past year, the Danish Pig Research Centre (DPRC) reports.
A Pig Welfare Summit meeting was called by Dan Jørgensen, the Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture & Fisheries. Signatories to an agreement included representatives from DPRC, leading consumer and animal welfare organisations, the veterinary profession and Danish retailers.
The agreement included the setting of a number goals to ensure a continuing improvement in welfare standards on Danish pig farms. Among those were:


1. Improvement of survival rates of piglets
2. Finding alternatives to the castration of male piglets to avoid the risk of boar taint
3. Reducing the occurrence of stomach ulcers
4. Moving toward the loose-housing of sows throughout the whole production cycle
5. Eliminating tail docking
“We are pleased to announce that our industry has already made significant progress in meeting the commitments we made at last year’s ‘Pig Welfare Summit,’” said Erik Larsen, chairman of the Danish Pig Research Centre.
“We recently launched a new information campaign, called ‘Pattegriseliv’, to help ensure that our farmers implement best practice to enhance piglet survival rates and our pioneering work in developing new systems for ‘freedom farrowing’ has already attracted major interest internationally. Our research to find alternative strategies to limit the risk of ‘boar taint’ continues apace – including feed and breeding trials, as well as investigating new selection protocols on our slaughter lines.
“We have also implemented a number of research projects which we hope will lead to new strategies for addressing the risk of outbreaks of tail-biting among our pigs.”

Conversion to group sow housing at Cargill-owned farms completed

• 

  Andrea Gantz

  Cargill has completed its transition to group sow housing at company-owned facilities.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Cargill Pork, one of the largest pork producers in the U.S., is 11 months ahead of its own schedule for completing the conversion to group housing for sows at company-owned farms.  In June 2014, Cargill Pork announced a commitment to group housing of sows at company-owned farms, with the original completion date set for December 31, 2015.
  “We are pleased to achieve 100 percent group housing at Cargill Pork farms nearly one year ahead of schedule,” said Mike Luker, president of Cargill Meat Solutions’ pork business.  “This is a significant investment in the future of our pork business, and one we made as the result of listening to the marketplace in recent years.”
  For a number of years, Cargill’s U.S. pork operation had maintained 50 percent group housing for company-owned sows at farms owned by Cargill Pork.  Its 2011 acquisition of an idled hog farm complex in the Texas Panhandle helped the company achieve 100 percent group housing for its gestating sows at company-owned farms.
  Since the Texas site was acquired, Cargill Pork has invested more than $60 million in the purchase and improvement of the 22,000-acre property near Dalhart, Texas, including the conversion of sow barns to contain group housing.  Cargill Pork’s Dalhart facility employs more than 300 people, including a team trained to care for the animals at the site.
  "In recent years, many of our customers have made commitments related to the pork they will buy in the future, and we intend to meet those needs,” stated Luker. “We’ve been a pioneer in the use of group housing for gestating sows dating back more than a decade, and recently there has been growing public interest in the welfare related to animals raised for food. Group housing and individual housing for gestating sows both have benefits and challenges.  Although a large-scale change to group housing takes time and is costly, we believe it is the right thing to do for the long term future of our pork production in the U.S., and our customers agree with us and support our decision.  However, we are always mindful about the many family farms raising hogs that have livelihoods invested in their operations and it will require patience and resources, should they choose to move to group housing.”
  The target for conversion to group housing at contract farms containing Cargill Pork sows remains December 31, 2017. Hogs produced by Cargill Pork-owned sows represent approximately 30 percent of the total animals harvested each year at Cargill’s two pork processing facilities.

Chipotle suspends pork from many of its restaurants

• 

  Andrea Gantz

  Chipotle stopped serving pork at many of its restaurants after a supplier failed to raise pigs according to its standards.

  From WATTAgNet:

  Chipotle Mexican Grill has stopped serving pork at about a third of its restaurants after suspending a supplier that violated the restaurant chain’s animal welfare standards.

  Chris Arnold, a spokesman for the Mexican food chain, said this marks the first time the company stopped serving its carnitas topping that contains pork for its burritos and bowls. He said Chipotle learned of the violation by the supplier through a routine audit, and did not have a timeline for when carnitas would return to the affected stores.

  Arnold said most of the issues related to the violations concerned the housing for the pigs. Chipotle demands that its suppliers raise pigs with access to the outdoors.

  Arnold said the company is looking at a variety of ways to remedy its carnitas shortage, including the use of different cuts of pork or increasing orders from other suppliers. He said he hopes the supplier in question, which the company did not identify, will fix its issues and be able to continue to supply pork to the restaurant chain.

  Chipotle Mexican Grill, which is headquartered in Denver, had 1,724 restaurants as of September 30. The chain has a history of demanding strict animal welfare standards from its suppliers but has also been controversial to the animal agriculture industry after it released its “Farmed and Dangerous” video series in 2014, which took a satirical look at animal production practices.

Utah prosecutors drop ag-gag charges against animal activists

• 

  Andrea Gantz

  Charges of violating Utah's ag-gag law have been dropped against four suspects who allegedly entered a hog farm to take photos.

  From WATTAgNet:
  Prosecutors in Utah are dropping charges against four animal rights activists accused of violating the state’s ag-gag law. The agricultural interference charges are being dropped at the request of Circle Four Farms, the company that operates the pig farm where the suspects allegedly trespassed to take photos of the operation.
  The activists from California and Maryland will still each face one misdemeanor count of criminal trespass, said Iron County Attorney Scott Garrett. Prosecutors received the case after the four activists pleaded not guilty last week for an incident that allegedly took place in September 2014.
  The agriculture interference counts came under a state law, commonly known as the ag-gag law, that makes it a crime to conduct undercover investigations of agricultural operations.
  Police say the four activists from the Farm Animal Rights Movement drove onto private property at the hog farm in September and took pictures. Their lawyer says they were on a public roadway and only captured images of farm buildings, not workers or animals.
  Attorney T. Matthew Phillips has said his clients wanted to retrace the pigs' path to a California slaughterhouse, not provoke an arrest. They are Sarah Jane Gage, 43, of Los Angeles; Robert Penney, 64, of Laguna Beach, California; Harold Weiss, 34, of Pasadena, California; and Bryan Monell, 50, of Mount Rainier, Maryland, according to court records.
  Circle Four Farms is part of Murphy-Brown LLC, the livestock production subsidiary of the world's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods. The Utah farm raises and markets about 1.2 million hogs per year and employs about 450 people.

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.

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.

Pig welfare agreement reached in Denmark

A new agreement for improving pig welfare standards has been reached between Dan Jørgensen, the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and organizations with an interest in pig production. These include Denmark's leading animal welfare campaigners.
Representatives of Denmark's veterinary profession, retailers and consumer groups were also signatories to a formal declaration, whose terms will ensure improved welfare for pigs while helping the Danish swine industry to realize its growth potential in the years ahead. The agreement was reached at a recent welfare summit convened by the minister.
"We are delighted that the parties have succeeded in reaching a broad agreement, which will secure even higher pig welfare standards in Denmark. At the same time, it recognizes that Danish pig production should achieve the economic growth that Danish society wants. The agreement underpins our future work by finding solutions to some of the major challenges of pig production," said Martin Merrild, Danish Agriculture & Food Council chairman.
Merrild said that the agreement is a natural extension of the important work on improved welfare that the industry, in partnership with scientists and the authorities, has been engaged in over a number of years.
The agreement will set specific targets, with immediate actions identified, in the following areas:

• Improve survival rates among piglets
• Encourage uptake of free-farrowing systems for sows - at least 10 percent of sows by 2020
• Find alternatives to castration of male piglets without anaesthetic by 2018 latest
• Reduce numbers of tail-docked piglets
• Lower incidence of stomach ulcers in both sows and finishing pigs
In addition, a major project for new housing design will focus on welfare considerations. The meat industry and retail trade will also provide consumers with more information and greater choice of higher welfare products.
Merrild continued, "It is only in the interests of our farmers that we continue to improve piglet survival rates and try to find sustainable solutions for a number of the challenges that pig production is facing. First and foremost, this will lead to higher welfare standards, but it's also crucial that we producers are as skilled as possible at what we do so that in the long-term we can increase exports and protect the jobs of those employed in agriculture and food production."
Erik Larsen, chairman of the Danish Pig Research Centre, is another who views the agreement as a positive step along the road to improved welfare and competitiveness of Danish pig production.
"We've already come far in a number of areas. Levels of piglet mortality have fallen and we can see the effects of the work we've already done. Together with our partners in this agreement, we have high hopes that we can create even stronger pig production in Denmark, for which there is widespread support."
The following organizations were signatories to the declaration:

• Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Fisheries
• Landbrug og Fodevarer (Danish Agriculture & Food Council)
• Videncenter for Svineproduktion (Danish Pig Research Centre)
• Dyrenes Beskyttelse (Animal Protection)
• Dyrenes Venner (Animal Friends)
• Den Danske Dyrlægeforening (The Danish Veterinary Association)
• Danske Slagtemestre (Danish Master Butchers)
• De Samvirkende Købmænd (The Federation of Grocers)
• Coop Danmark A/S
• Dansk Supermarked
• Forbrugerrådet (Danish Consumer Council) 

Practical pig app features videos that demonstrate farm management techniques

BPEX has launched a free Practical Pig app for smartphones or tablet computer users that shows videos of pig farm management techniques.
"It's an exciting new tool for the pig industry, using the visual power of videos to demonstrate important everyday tasks - and what's great is that managers and stockmen can use the app while they're out and about on farm," says Angela Cliff,  BPEX Knowledge transfer manager. "The clips explain why tasks are done in a certain way and what impact that can have on pig productivity. Attention to detail is essential on every unit to improve pig performance."
The extensive library of video clips currently covers both indoor and outdoor breeding herd production, with more clips being added regularly.
"If there is something producers would like to be added, please let the knowledge transfer team know. It's a dynamic video library that we can build to suit producers' needs," says Cliff.
Breeding herd management has been covered first, as part of the Breed +3 initiative, and filming for finishing unit management clips is due to start in autumn 2013.
To download the Practical Pig app for a smartphone or tablet go to play.google.com and search for BPEX Practical Pig or, to download the videos on a PC or laptop, go to practicalpig.bpex.org.uk.

Call for entries to Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards

Compassion in World Farming is calling on food producers across Europe to enter its sixth Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards.
The Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards recognize companies that demonstrate their commitment to meeting a set of species-specific welfare criteria, and Compassion in World Farming is still welcoming entries for the Good Egg, Good Chicken, Good Dairy and Good Pig awards.
2013 will see the animal welfare organization hold one combined awards event in Paris - rather than the usual two, one in London and one in Paris - as part of its initiative to drive farm animal welfare up the agenda across Europe. "By working with the largest food manufacturers, food service businesses and retail chains, we can achieve the greatest impact on farm animal welfare by raising baseline standards," said Director of food business at Compassion in World Farming Dr. Tracey Jones. "These companies make, serve and sell the vast majority of the food we consume and have it in their power to make a real difference to the lives of millions of animals reared for food each year."
Willem-Jan Laan, director global external affairs for Unilver, which has won the Good Chicken and Good Egg Awards amongst others, said that farm animal welfare has been one of Unilever's sustainable agriculture indicators since 2005. "We recognize that many consumers do have concerns about animal welfare and we take these concerns seriously," said Laan. "We have several ongoing initiatives which include free-range eggs in Hellman's mayonnaise."