A win for pigs: one of the world’s largest pork producers commits to better welfare for mother pigs

With three out of four mother pigs across the globe spending much of their lives in steel cages no bigger than a fridge, this commitment from Thai based Charoen Popkhand Foods PCL (CP Foods) is great step towards a better life for millions of pigs.

Mother pigs endure unimaginable suffering on factory farms. Trapped in a sea of cages, unable to turn or socialise, they have no joy in their lives. Only pain and suffering.

We welcome this move from another leading pork producer as an important development in the journey to raise pigs right.

CP Foods

CP Foods published this commitment as part of its 2017 sustainability plan.

It has promised to ensure all its pregnant breeding mother pigs will be housed in opens pens with other mother pigs, known as group gestation pens, by 2025 in Thailand and by 2028 for international operations.

In addition to this change on existing farms, as of 2017 all newly established farms for mother pigs will use group gestation pens in Thailand, and in other countries from this year. As of the end of 2017, 24% of CP Foods’ mother pigs in Thailand were already living in higher welfare standards.

CP Foods, a large food production and industrial agriculture company, with headquarters in Thailand, exports pork products to over 30 countries.

Our work with food producers

We began working with CP Foods at the beginning of this year as part of our Raise Pigs Right campaign, targeting supermarkets and food suppliers across the globe to end horribly cruel practices in factory farms.

This exciting development from CP Foods comes after our successful work with fellow Thai company, Betagro. Last year, Betagro committed to getting mother pigs out of cages while pregnant and giving birth by 2027.

We also influenced Chinese company Zhejiang Qinglian Foods to become the first in China to commit to getting pregnant mother pigs out of cages by 2025.

There’s more to do

Our head of campaign Jacqueline Mills said: “This is a significant step in improving the lives of pigs. CP Foods now needs to put the wheels in motion to deliver on this commitment.

“We must not forget that more needs to be done to improve the lives of pigs in farming: provision of manipulable and rootable materials as enrichment to allow pigs to express their natural behavior, comfortable flooring, getting mother pigs out of farrowing cages, and ending cruel piglet mutilations, which are often done with no pain relief.”

“We want to see the world’s biggest producers commit to end close confinement, barren environments and painful mutilations so that pigs can be pigs and live pain-free, move, play, root, explore, socialise and experience natural behaviour.”

From producers to supermarkets

We’re continuing to work with pork producers to develop higher welfare systems, enabling pigs to be kept out of cages and in social groups. In addition to this important work, we’re also targeting supermarkets.

Pork is big business, with supermarkets spending millions each year to source pork from producers around the world. Supermarkets have a clear responsibility to ensure those producers raise pigs right.

Sign our pledge for pigs

You can make a difference.

Join almost 60,000 other supporters and sign our pledge now, and demand supermarkets source pork from higher welfare producers.

Together, we can move supermarkets to help raise pigs right.

We want to see the world’s biggest producers commit to end close confinement, barren environments and painful mutilations so that pigs can be pigs and live pain-free, move, play, root, explore, socialise and experience natural behaviour