Gestation
HSUS to sue six pork production companies
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports that it intends to sue a range of pork production companies, citing “unreported releases of hazardous pollutant ammonia” as the impetus for the legal action. However, peppered within its own news release are multiple references to gestation-sow stalls, adding a new dimension to its tactics against the housing system.
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11 tips for managing pregnant sows in group housing
With major pork buyers like McDonald's, Hormel and Safeway announcing plans to move toward gestation stall-free suppliers, Minnesota hog farmers may be exploring group housing options.
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IPPA session will review sow-housing issue
Pork producers and other industry stakeholders are invited to attend Illinois Pork Producers Association's (IPPA) Visioning Session Tuesday, July 17, to learn more about the sow-housing issue and other marketplace dynamics.
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Gestation-sow stalls black listed again
Another quick-serve food company has come out against gestation-sow stalls. On Monday, Fresh Enterprises, LLC, which owns Baja Fresh, La Salsa Mexican Grill and Canyon’s Burger restaurants, announced that it “supports industry efforts to move away from gestation crates.”
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Oscar Mayer joins the anti-gestation-stall list
Oscar Mayer officials announced on Friday that the company will give its pork suppliers 10 years to eliminate gestation-sow stalls within their pork production systems and adopt alternative housing.
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CKE Restaurants set a 2022 no-gestation-stall deadline
Two more quick-serve restaurants have sent the message that they will work to phase out suppliers whose pork can be traced back to gestation-sow stalls. Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s are under the umbrella of CKE Restaurants.
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Gestation-stall debate is not clear cut
Pork producers and consumers alike are increasingly talking about gestation-sow housing since some major U.S. grocers and restaurant chains, including McDonald’s, have cited plans to stop buying pork that can be traced back to gestation stalls. However, lost in the conversation is why pork producers began using stalls in the first place.
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Add Cracker Barrel to the list
On Thursday, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store joined the growing list of food companies that want their pork supplies to come from systems that do not use gestation-sow stalls. The restaurant chain announced that it will begin formulating plans to source its pork from such operations.
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Brumm Speaks Out: An interesting question at Expo
At the World Pork Expo last week the hot topic of conversation (other than corn condition ratings and pig price expectations) was the ongoing gestation housing debate.
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Hog Outlook: 17% of sows in open pens
Lately, there have been a few restaurant chains saying they will require, at some time in the future, all of their pork to come from farms that use open pen gestation facilities. At the request of the National Pork Producers Council, I have just completed a survey of 70 large hog firms which have 3.6 million sows (roughly 62.6% of all U.S sows).
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Live from WPX 2012: Dr. Ron Plain takes on gestation stalls
DES MOINES, Iowa -- Dr. Ron Plain, University of Missouri agricultural economist, discusses the debate over the use of gestation-sow stalls and how the move away from the housing system could harm both pigs and consumers.
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