Pressuring companies to improve the lives of pigs around the world

Watch a video to see the achievements you've made possible in the last 12 months. 

Our work with some of the largest pig producers in South America directly benefited 18,104 mother pigs (sows) and 222,219 pigs by improving their conditions. 48% of JBS mother pigs are no longer in cages and teeth clipping is no longer used on any JBS South America farms. 29% of mother pigs in BRF farms are now in group housing and they’re increasing enrichment on many farms.

Following a petition signed by 72,000 Americans, Kroger, the USA’s largest supermarket chain, committed to phase out sow stalls in their pork supply. This will benefit an estimated 365,897 pigs a year once it’s fully implemented by 2025. 

Through our work with three Chinese pig producers, we were able to directly improve the lives of 39,600 sows and 107,400 pigs in China during 2018.

Chinese customers can now buy high welfare pork for the first time, thanks to our pilot project with pork producer, Qinglian. In September 2018, the company began selling its high welfare pork in its own outlet with a sales promotion and conducted consumer education explaining the benefits of high welfare farming. 

Our Netherlands office launched the report ‘Risking Animal Welfare’, highlighting how Dutch banks invest heavily in broiler chicken and pig production. 37,000 people signed our petition, calling on the banks to improve animal welfare in their investment chain.

As a result, ABN-AMRO Bank agreed to update their animal welfare policy and we’re confident ING will follow suit.

Following engagement with the company, we welcomed the world’s second largest pig producer CP Foods’ new animal welfare policy which was released following our engagement with the company. The policy commits CP Foods to end cages for pregnant pigs by 2025 in Thailand and by 2028, globally.

Currently, CP Group operations in China sit outside this commitment and we continue to ask with the company to act consistently on a global level.

Also, in Thailand, we moved Tops Market and Central Food Hall to publicly commit to sourcing 100% of pork sold in their 120 supermarkets from farms that have transitioned away from sow stalls by 2027.

We’d like to thank everyone who supported our ‘Raise Pigs Right’ campaign in 2018; and look forward to achieving even more significant wins for pigs in 2019 – ‘The Year of the Pig’.

Header image credit: Thomas Alexander/World Animal Protection

This will benefit an estimated 365,897 pigs a year once it’s fully implemented by 2025.