| McDonald's plans phase out pork produced in gestation stalls In a bow to animal rights groups, McDonald's Corporation said that, by 2022, the fast-food giant will no longer buy any pork from suppliers that use gestation stalls to confine pregnant sows. "I've been in this business a long time," Forkner said. But in the meantime, the additional expenses on farmers forced to make this conversion could increase the risk of them having to leave the business. "We value our relationship with our suppliers, and our shared commitment to animal welfare," said Dan Gorsky, senior vice president of McDonald's North America Supply Chain Management. Forkner said the National Pork Board's position continues to be that peer-reviewed research shows overwhelmingly that both individual stalls and open pens are appropriate ways to supply good care to pregnant sows. "This change is complex and will require additional resources. business only from producers who share its commitment to phase out gestation stalls. The housing used by most farmers was designed to protect sows from this bullying while they are most vulnerable, during their pregnancies. "We believe consumers ultimately are likely to pay these higher production costs. However, the president of the National Pork Board, Everett Forkner, expressed disappointment with the decision and said it could put significant pressure on smaller farmers who use gestation stalls to care for their animals. "For a producer who has built a whole new barn in the past few years, McDonald's announced timeline could force them to make significant new investments," said Forkner. Dominant sows physically attack the others, bite them and steal their food. Animal welfare expert Dr. Forkner said publicly held pork production companies with access to capital and bond markets may be able to make the conversion more easily. To achieve this, McDonald's will work with producers and suppliers to develop needed traceability systems that will verify pork sourced from non-gestation stall supply chains and assess how to best support producers migrating away from gestation stalls. "This is really good forward thinking, and I commend McDonald's for doing it. When sows are thrown together they're able to become very aggressive. McDonald's plans phase out pork produced in gestation stalls |
Saturday, 2 June 2012
McDonald's plans phase out pork produced in gestation stalls
