Comment – Great news but why so long ? – why not 2020 ?

I am very pleased to announce that with the help of our supporters, we have achieved a major victory in pig welfare.

Kroger, the largest grocery chain retailer in the U.S. has committed that by 2025 they will no longer source pork from farms that use cages.

If you recall, World Animal Protection launched a petition in May, garnering more than 72,000 supporters to join with us in asking Kroger to be a leader in the industry and use their buying power to get suppliers to raise pigs right.

At the end of July, Kroger released their latest sustainability report, including a commitment to source 100% of fresh pork from suppliers who have transitioned all their self-operated and contracted farms away from gestation crates by 2025. We are excited about this commitment, but we will continue to do more for pigs.

While some major fast food brands are making similar commitments to source pork responsibly, grocery chains have been slower to move, and grocery chains buy the bulk of pork produced.

U.S. supermarket customers expect more. Eighty-nine percent of grocery shoppers surveyed believe that supermarkets have a responsibility to ensure pigs are treated well. We need to continue to work with grocery chains to change their practices.

Three out of four mother pigs remain in steel cages for life. These cages are no bigger than the average fridge. They are unable to turn around, root, explore, move comfortably or socialize with other pigs. Mother pigs become chronically depressed and bite the steel bars of their cages in frustration. Sows are treated as breeding machines. Mother pigs go constantly hungry because their food is restricted to limit weight gain and avoid complications, while giving birth to huge litters. They resort to repetitively chewing when their mouths are empty, until they foam at the mouth.

World Animal Protection research shows that 72 percent of international respondents find the way pigs are raised upsetting, wrong or shocking. However, 80 percent of U.S. respondents were concerned after seeing the realities of commercial farming.

What can you do about this?

You can talk to your local grocery store about where they source their pork. Ask them to do better on labeling so you know where the pork is sourced from and demand that they have higher welfare pork from pigs that have been raised right. Click here to download and complete this letter for your grocery store manager. Retailers carry what consumers demand so you can help #RaisePigsRight by speaking up.

You can also click here to make a donation supporting our work to protect pigs and other animals in need.

Look out for more updates from us in the coming months. We appreciate your continued support as we work towards additional victories for pigs.